Any Fig Fanatics?

[HawkinsHollow]

Here is SE Tennessee we seem to kind of be in the sweet spot for fig growing, as long as you get a fig that can tolerate the humidity and heavy rainfall. I plan on waiting until the spring to plant and my new fig guru Kenny recommended bringing them inside this winter. I will put them in my crawlspace.

@ultrarunner that is pretty cool! I am kind of excited to learn the air layering method of propagation and sharing my figs with the world. That is why I am trying to diversify my collection. Anyone can go buy a celeste or brown turkey at the store around here. So I am trying to get a few exotic figs. I am most excited about the Negrone fig, supposed to be a really nice variety.

 

[Alan W.]

I have stored mine two different ways.
1 Wait until the cold causes the leaves to die back. They will start greening back up late winter. No grow lights needed until they sprout leaves.
2 Bring them in and place led grow lights over them. Occasionally they will produce a fig or two before spring. This is my current method because I overwinter a few other plants.
My basement never gets below 65 degrees.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I have stored mine two different ways.
1 Wait until the cold causes the leaves to die back. They will start greening back up late winter. No grow lights needed until they sprout leaves.
2 Bring them in and place led grow lights over them. Occasionally they will produce a fig or two before spring. This is my current method because I overwinter a few other plants.
My basement never gets below 65 degrees.

So you leave them outside until they start to green up in late winter?
The ones I just bought are in 3 gallon pots so the guy I bought them from recommended to put them in a dark location until spring, they are small still so my crawlspace will be perfect. Then once it starts to warm he does what he calls the fig shuffle which is leave them outside in the pots until the chance of a freeze is over. Put them back inside if it is going to freeze or frost. Once the chance of freeze is done I am going to plant them outside. The spot I will be planting these is not quite ready for them

Today I am going to go pickup a 5 year old celeste in a 25 gallon pot. That one I will probably leave outside all winter but I will put it on the protected south side of my house where it will also get some nice warm sun on sunny days. Might wrap the container to keep it from freezing. We don't get as much cold as you do up in Kentucky.

 

[Alan W.]

So you leave them outside until they start to green up in late winter?
The ones I just bought are in 3 gallon pots so the guy I bought them from recommended to put them in a dark location until spring, they are small still so my crawlspace will be perfect. Then once it starts to warm he does what he calls the fig shuffle which is leave them outside in the pots until the chance of a freeze is over. Put them back inside if it is going to freeze or frost. Once the chance of freeze is done I am going to plant them outside. The spot I will be planting these is not quite ready for them

Today I am going to go pickup a 5 year old celeste in a 25 gallon pot. That one I will probably leave outside all winter but I will put it on the protected south side of my house where it will also get some nice warm sun on sunny days. Might wrap the container to keep it from freezing. We don't get as much cold as you do up in Kentucky.

No I apologize. I took them in after leaf fall.
This will not damage the plant.

 

[Jrasband]

Figs are amazing I do not know how anyone could not be a fanatic.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Figs are amazing I do not know how anyone could not be a fanatic.

I know right? I have always been a little indifferent about figs until our old tree in the backyard did really well this summer. Then I started to do a little more research on them and now I am kinda addicted.

 

[JeepHead]

We had a very rainy spring and summer actually. I wonder if that's why my fig tree didn't make it - too much water. I have 3 huge persimmon trees in my front yard and all the rain caused the leafs on all 3 trees to have black dots all over them which I read was a rain related fungus. That caused all 3 trees to only put off about half as much fruit as they normally do. Still plenty of fruit to make about as many persimmon puddings ya would ever wanna make. But the wild life likes them too.

 

[Alan W.]

All this talk about figs and my wife made me take her by Publix last night to look for some.
These are Turkey. They also had Mission.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Instead of the shuffle, you could also wrap plastic over them. Just be sure to remove the plastic when warm spring says appear.

We had a few of our brown turkey trees get winter die out. Everything above ground was brown and crackly. Left it be, spring rolls around and they bounced back beautifully.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I've read that if you pile leaves you raked up around them, then wrap burlap around to hold the leaves as insulation that they will over winter better?

This will be my 1st year ...but was under the impression that the Chicago variety would not need the winter protection ... ? I live in zone 6B so not as cold as Chicago, IL ...

 

[Alan W.]

These die back every winter but they grow back fast. They need more sunlight in their location. I have cut the tip on the stems with formed figs this will help speed up production before frost hopefully.

Its not big but it out produces my other plants.

I forget what variety this is but the figs are green when they ripen and have a citrus taste. Wife kept waiting for them to change color and they just burst open.

This one like most of my figs was a Lowes markdown due to frost hitting the plant. It is a
Violette de Bordeaux. It grows slow and hasn’t fruited yet in the two years Ive had it.

 

[ultrarunner]

The California backyard trees produce a lot.

I have one in Olympia and maybe 2 or 3 about the size of an egg for the season.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Not sure if it was mentioned but dried fig leaves make great tea. I am planning to harvest them from my trees a little later. Give it to family members. Its one of those herbal remedy things , but taste good too. I'm not much of a hot tea drinker.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I don't drink tea, but my pants are getting thin ... What stage for clothing?

All kidding aside ... Once they start to grow, like I've seen on my one Chicago, how long before they are ready to harvest?

 

[jyoutz]

It was the Chicago Hardy fig. My ex-girlfriend's mom and I both ordered one and each died. Could have been a bad batch.

I’m thinking more like a lack of climate hardening off. Moving from a heated shop to cold spring ground and maybe some freezing nights would be a problem. You would be better off to winter it outside with the pot buried in straw or other mulch to protect the roots. Then the tree would be acclimated to plant in the spring.

 

[kenmbz]

I find my figs (6b here) to ripen based more on weather than time.
Two years ago, plenty of rain and warm, mid August harvest.
This year, the figs are still coming in and started around first of September.
I have had to water the tree this year, but it has stayed healthy looking all summer.
I also had to trim it back a lot from last years growth and will need to do the same this year, which seems to move the harvest date a bit.

 

[Runner]

Please forgive my ignorance but, what do you do with them? Do you eat them raw like an apple, or do they need to be cooked, then eaten, or are they used as an ingredient in baked goods? All/some of the above?

 

[ultrarunner]

Climates 10a and 10b are classified as Mediterranean and figs do well here with summer watering in the SF East Bay… (Photo from Aug 1)

Olympia is more 8a and and 8b with almost no production.

 

[ponytug]

Please forgive my ignorance but, what do you do with them? Do you eat them raw like an apple, or do they need to be cooked, then eaten, or are they used as an ingredient in baked goods? All/some of the above?

As a fresh fruit, added to salads or with cheese, baked, and yes there are recipes for cooked versions.

Like fresh dates vs dried dates, fresh figs are a very different flavor.

All the best, Peter

 

[CliffordK]

We got the Christmas decorations up on Mom's Fig a couple of days ago.

It has always been a little more bushy than tree like, but it also means easy picking. Every once in a while it freezes, and then resprouts more bushy than ever with more new trunks.

Usually a good late summer crop, then another mid fall crop which should be coming shortly.