We've had very high winds lately and the Petit Negra - pot and all - took a fall. There was no way I could lift that pot and so called for help from the gardener. Even he had a bit of a time trying to set up the heavy pot while ducking all the low branches. The fig seems to have made it thru' it's adventure unharmed.

We've also had very cold weather (for us) and the fig that has been ripening has stopped. We're to get some 80s this weekend, so maybe there's hope for one or two more to ripen. I'm glad to hear that you've managed to get a few more.

The fig-of-unknown-variety that is giving the fruit is the one I wrote about in an earlier posting. Several came up all by themselves. This one is about 12' tall now and needs to be cut back, but I don't know when is the best time to do this. ??? I've decided to keep it since it seems to have taken over an empty space in the sideyard and has really good tasting fruit. (This whole area once was a huge fig orchard, and occasionally a fig will grow from some long-hibernating root.) Or, I had a fig go to seed last summer - 2020; maybe the seeds did sprout. Who knows?

My fig trees are done for this season, this where my last fig 😟

I dragged 4 small trees in basement under Flower and fruit grow lights, Atreano, Godfather's fig, Riccardo's unk and De La Senyora fingers crossed

new fig owner here, been obsessed for 3 weeks! figs are so great! please give me some tips. Just ordered some new ones. I don't like dried figs, never tried a fresh one, I just love the look of the plants!

beautiful photos, bluemoonlight. I rarely get that many all at once; perhaps that's because mine are in pots.

Bluemoonlight. You serious? You have been holding back on us. Ha. I can't believe you got that many. Which is sweetest to you and are all main crop or some breba?

I just picked 6 main crop on my Chicago Hardy but I am afraid the dam squirrels found the tree. I was hoping they would not. Two eaten but left me many. Now the cold will move in next week leaving two days to see what else ripens and what I can grab before the animals do.

Bluemoonlight, do you grow all yours in containers?

Full sun? How big are the containers? And what do you fertilize with?

Seems you get a lot more off your container figs than I ever did. I wonder if I could improve for next season?

Ca, love the Petit Negra! I love the flavor. Some years I can get lots on atree fat and juicy, then some , not a one. I don't get it) This year, nothing. They are well kwon for breba along with main crop. Yummy. Sorry about that wind. Yikes

Gardening, fun and welcome. Once addicted , always addicted.lol

Yes I agree meyermike!

GardeningTeenager, Welcome to the fig madness❗

I am in zone 6 too, in containers,

They are overwatered in unheated garage, I start shuffling them in spring, I bring them out when sunny, after 6pm they go back in garage.

In zone 6 you can plant Hardy Chicago in ground if you protect it a little it will produce and ripen main crop, there is lots to learn about growing fig trees in cold climet, but it us doable. On this forum a member Martin, (Dieseler) has some helpful threads how to fertilize fig trees in containers, his methods is easy to follow.

I have been growing fig trees 11th season and still learning and trying diferen methods, just to give my self a headache 🤣

Mayermike,

This is the fertilizing regimen I was using last 3 seasons

https://youtu.be/msbnT2zhZIc

It works well for me,

You can also just use Dieseler's fertilizing regimen, Miracle Gro solable fertilizer, 24 - 8 - 16,

season round.

After bud break use full strengt the way it says on package, then after 2 weeks use half strengtht ones a week.

I used Dieseler's fertilizing regimen for about 5 season it was working well, you can also add balabce slow release fertilizer as 4-4-4 or 5-7-7 as long as the 3 numbers are close together.

All figs are sweet when properly ripen, and fertilized.

My favorite is Black Madeira, Col de Dame Blanc, Lattarula, Hardy Chicago, Dalmatie, De La Senyora, Negronne, Violette de Bordeaux.....

Here is when to fertilize and when to stop fertilizing

https://youtu.be/i6XOn2a8SV0

Good luck all the way

@bluemoonlight

I have 2 hardy Chicago figs! I can't bear to put them outside, they are too tiny and I am afraid of them dying. Also, the thought of cutting them down every year seems painful for the plants! I'd rather keep them inside and have them be really nice houseplants!

I am so dissapointed, ordered 2 figs and a passionflower vine for 43$ from Florida hill nursery and you should see these poor things, no leaves and all bowed with uneven growth. But for the price it wasn't terrible it's just gonna be a lot of work to fix them.............. The passionflower is nice though, so not a terrible loss. if they die I am returning them.

GardeningTeenager, can you make picture of your Hardy Chicago?

Sure,

It’s a real beauty and my grandmother is so excited for when it fruits to make fresh fig Newton’s from it.

I am going to get some cuttings from a friend’s hardy fig and then root them and plant them at my grandmothers house so she can have figs too! The trees I give her will be bigger than my little tree

Gardening Teenager, if you are going to keep in containers you might try some that are dwarfing such as Green Ischia or VdD.

I may have a few cuttings I could send you of Green Ischia later in the year. Just private message me. All you would have to pay is postage.

And yes, figs are addicting because they are so easy to propagate. Literally hundreds of varieties.

Gary

That's very nice of you Gary !

Sharing is caring !

GardeningTeenager you right about not putting small fig treelet outside now.

Are you planning to keep it growing all winter indoor ?

If yes, you must give it lots of light so that it doesn't get leggy.

I would suggest to let it go dormant.

Thank you so much for the offer Gary, but I think I will be ok, I don't have a good spot to overwinter them and I already have a ton of houseplants. I just don't have the space for more trees! I also can't give away any more houseplants because the ones I have are very special heirlooms from my grandmother's house when she sold it. I do think that there will be some people who want those cuttings! You should post that you have them as it seems like a wonderful tree! Thank you so much for the offer though!

@bluemoonlight I have it in front of a huge window in my room facing a lot of direct light. I am going to let my 4 trees that I have just stay in my room this winter and then let them go dormant next year. When I get the cuttings from my friend, they will grow under my grow light in the basement and not upstairs. Then, I will bring them to my grandmother next spring. They are the last cuttings I am allowed to get for now. The only reason that I am allowed to get them is because they are theoretically outdoor plants. I have been told no to more houseplants.... apparently 22 houseplants is too much lol.

It's so nice to see others addicted other than me...

It also nice to see all the action here and kindness. What a nice jester for Gary to offer cuttings.

Let me tell you when I say nothing is better than picking a fresh warm ripe sweet fig on a very nice warm day!

I have 4 planted in ground here in New England. I always pray the squirrels

don't find them first.

Who told you NO to houseplants?

I bring them home no matter what anyone tells me.lol. They get use to them.

Meyermike, notice her account name is GardeningTeenager. Can't make the rules yet.

But with fig cuttings, you could put them outside in an unheated garage. That way they do not wake up in the middle of winter and it gives cutting time to make roots. Do not want the cutting to freeze, but stay cold enough not to break dormancy.

That would make it an outside plant. I was a youth pastor many years ago and look for loop holes to allow young people to do things that they want to do, as long as it was harmless. Offer still stands, and I could send you a cutting sometime in Feb or maybe March, before my in-ground fig breaks dormancy.

Thank you so much @garybeaumont_gw! I will try to do that with the cuttings, the basement gets pretty cold, and I think I could keep them dormant..... do you think I could bury them in my vegetable garden once I pull everything up and let it sprout in the spring? would that work? I also do not want any more cuttings because I have never tried a fresh fig and don't know if I like them or not... I want to make sure I like the fruit I am growing before getting more! Thank you so much for the offer! It is so kind of you!

@Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)

I am at the point with my houseplants that even I believe I need to say no lol. I still buy more and tell myself I will get rid of some. I always buy long term houseplants that need a lot of work and end up growing huge and tell myself they will stay small... like my lemon tree. Bad idea. It was like 8 inches when I bought it, and nearing on 3 feet now.

You would need to ask someone in your area if that is possible. Hopefully someone will commit. You can do that where I am at but our soil does not freeze.

Off topic, but for a short term plant you could grow a micro dwarf tomato.

This is a rosy finch micro dwarf. It grows 12 inches tall and can be grown in

a half gallon pot. This one is already blooming and is about 8 inches high.

Our soil freezes solid. Literally it feels like hitting a rock with a shovel. That is an awesome tomato plant! is it self pollinating?

Yeah, don't think you can plant them outside in the ground like I can.

And tomatoes are self pollinating, either by insects or wind. Inside you can gently shake the flowers and they will pollinate.

And an updated picture of Micros, taken today. They were planted in late June. Previous picture was taken 2 weeks ago.

The micro dwarf tomatoes below were planted on Sept. 1st. Look close and you can see they already have flower buds. I have 3 or 4 extra seed if you want them.

And since this is the fig forum, this is a fig that was planted from a cutting last year at this time. Produced figs the first year. It is a Red Lebonese Bekaa Valley fig. Tell my 12 year old son was thrilled to take the picture.

Figs can get big quickly. But I do push the figs some with miracle gro.

Miracle gro can make them grow so fast it’s insane! I love it for outdoors stuff, it RARELY indoors, fertilized indoor plants 2 years ago and still dealing with trying to find a place for them because they are all so much bigger!

do figs continue to ripen after the first frost or do they stop and stay unripe?

.... Stop and stay unripe. There is a recipe for such in another thread.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1900663/here-s-what-to-do-with-unripe-figs#n=13