my neighbor grew them and locked them up in his metal 'toolshed' in winter. Normal winters (6a) they'd live and bear; winters that got down to -15 they might die. I have no idea what kind of figs they were.

I’ve got a Brown Turkey here in z6 near Boston that lives outside year round. I’ve mounded leaves and mulch around the branches up to a few feet and wrapped the whole thing in burlap some winters, but stopped doing that a couple years ago. It tends to keep a few more branches alive, and makes the tree leaf out a little earlier, but doesn’t really impact fruit production, which is pretty minimal regardless, and mostly impacted by first frost date. It’ll happily sprout from the ground if everything dies back. It didn’t have much dieback after our mild winter this year, and I’ve had a handful of figs off it so far.

My parents up in NH have one (unsure of the variety) that they keep in a pot. It goes in the (heated) basement in the winter, then outside in the spring, and produces more and more figs every year. My mom was complaining last month that she was running out of things to make with figs — she’d gone through tarts, jams, spreads, breads...

Thanks everyone.

Nekobus, that is what I should of asked. If anyone grows one IN GROUND up here? That was my intent.

I know how to over winter them since I have several, but my Chicago Hardy is in the ground and I got tons of fruit, ripe too. I was wondering if anyone else was growing some kind of fig in the ground , what they do to protect if they do, and if they have success with fruit?

I just bought a Brown Turkey to try that one too, funny you should mention it. I am going to plant it in a very sunny well protected area that actually get hots against my house in a corner. I can't wait. Just picked 7 ripe fruit of my Chicago this morning. My God, so sweet.

Thank you)

"... I was wondering if anyone else was growing some kind of fig in the ground , what they do to protect if they do, and if they have success with fruit?..."

My friend who buried hers WAS growing them in the ground! She would dig them up each fall, bury, uncover in spring, and replant. She had a lot of fruit, but like I said, too much work for me, lol.

I had to run to Home Depot today and to reward myself for going there I took a stroll through the garden center. I saw a Chicago Hardy fig and immediately thought of this thread, lol. I couldn't remember while there if that was the type you had.

But to repeat my question, can you tell us what YOU do to protect yours? I might consider growing one if I don't have to dig it up, or lug it in, or anything like that, so I'd love to know the secret of your success.

Thanks!
:)
Dee

Most of mine are grown in pots and kept in an unheated shed over Winter. I wrap them with olds shirts, blankets and random insulation. In the last 2 Winters, I only lost 1 because it wasn't properly acclimatized for Winter (I had it indoors getting the last few figs and all of a sudden put it outside in the cold and didn't properly wrap it) and another had some light damage on some branches.

I do have 1 in ground and did the same thing, wrapped it in some old shirts/blankets/insulation and a couple tarps (1 clear and 1 black). The tree had very little die back, if any. We were able to get many, many figs off the tree this Summer... the only problem is they were a bit late in ripening as they didn't begin to ripen until Mid September and has many figs on it currently ripening.

A member here Dieseler is growing Hardy Chicago in zone 4 or 5 he covers it with half size whiskey barrel I think cuts it down before covering it, it dies close to the ground but still Hardy Chicago wakes up in spring produces and ripens it's figs before fall frosts starts.

In Slovakia my sister is growing Negronne and Brown Turkey in ground she does not protect the in any way, coldest nights are around 5° Fahrenheit even breba survives tips of branches like 6 to 10 inches freeze but breba on previous branches survive.

Negronne is faster at bearing breba then Brown Turkey.

Bluemoonlight. because of what you said I bought two Negronne and I am going to give one a try in ground. I think it's too late to let any one fig tree to get established but I will plant as soon as spring hits and keep them asleep on my cold porch for now. That dark fruit looks so tasty and sweet!

Thanks everyone, it's so good to see some have having productive trees grown in winter climates as cold as I get!

Dee, I plant mine up almost against my home on the side that faces south and out of wind to create a different zone for it. Probably a zone 7 or even better on how well I insulate it. Then I will tie all the branches together once they are bare for the winter and then wrap insulation around them from the top to the ground, then put a plastic bag over the insulation to keep it dry. I also mulch mine about a foot up all around the trunk and 2 feet away all around. That's ii. That is my way. Many different ways to do it.

Some use chicken wire and make a circle that fits over the tree that allows you to fill leaves all the way to the top and then mulch the trunk area in. This works too. I have done that.

As long as the ground does not freeze hard and that you protect the branches and trunk from sub- 0 weather and the cold nasty winds, you should be fine. We are lucky that trees go dormant and need to during this time. You should try it.

You know, Meyermike, I just might! I'm glad you started this thread because it's got me re-thinking figs now! It looks like it's a matter of choosing the right variety and then giving it good protection. And putting it in the right spot, which will be the hardest thing for me.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences (and again to Meyermike for starting the thread). I for one appreciate it!

:)
Dee

Everyone, I am STILL picking ripe fruit off my tree))) I am so excited. Every day a few more here and there. I am grateful the frost has held off this long. This was a banner year. I will be putting it to sleep soon and insulating it for winter(

I will take a pic of the whole tree

Yes, it's been quite warm so far this year. I was out the other day and thought to myself, it's almost November and I'm out in a t-shirt! I've been holding off on pulling my veggie plants because it's been so warm. Although it sounds like you're having better luck with your figs than I am with my tomatoes lol!

:)
Dee

Zone 6b, PA. 5 Hardy Chicago in the ground. No protection from winter. Just piled a lot of big rocks at the base of the plant. Sun heat the rocks and so the plant roots. Fruit every year, Also 2 mystery white Italian figs (got from a yard-saler when I bought some of her junk). Gave 1 fruit this year. No winter protection.

Also 2 other ones that I planted at the border of my Hardy Banana bed that do not get protection either. Got those from Lowes couple years ago. No fruit yet. Forgot what variety they were, but definitely not Hardy Chicago.

It's just too much back breaking work to cover large trees. Not sure how people do the whole bending down and putting in a trench thing.