I am in Southern NH, zone 5b and am considering giving a fig tree a try. I have read various techniques for babying the tree through our winters; trenching, covering, bring em inside and plant along a south facing wall.
I am planning on the latter as soon as I build the wall which has no other purpose. Then I plan on constructing a cover with ventilation for winters.
Anyone care to comment on their succesful techniques? Actually, unsuccesful techniques are worthwhile too - why reinvent broken wheels?
I grow figs in CT which is a little bit warmer than you but we get cold enough here to kill off the new growth if it's exposed.
I wait until all the leaves are off (or pull them off) and the tree is dry and wrap it up in burlap pulling the sticks in and tie them up. Then I wrap that with some insulation and cover that with some more cloth, then wrap it up in some tarp and that's pretty much it for the winter.
My father in law has a huge tree which I guess is somewhat immune to the cold as it's way too big to cover up in the winter but grows pretty well each year.
The figs only bud from new growth stems so if you have some die off from the previous years new growth it's not a bad thing. Some decent pruning will keep the tree from getting unmanageable.
Here in the Syracuse area, Zone 5, there are many fig tree owners of Italian descent. There are several options, but in a Northern climate, you really need to grow them in a tub: Put them in the garage for the winter. They are hardy to Zone 8, so they can take some frost. Wrap them up in burlap & plastic & bury them or put them in a sheltered location. Park Seed Co. sells dwarf cultivars, which are easier to manage. Be sure to get a variety which fruits on new wood. Once they get a dormant period, you can grow them indoors in a sunny window for the rest of the winter. There is one drawback. Many Ficus carica get a symbiotic microorganism which lives inside the leaves & fixes nitrogen. When the sun shines, it smells exactly like you forgot to clean the cat's litter pan. Iris, Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40 "A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense." - Woody Allen
I have no fig experience - long torn between the sublime flavor of a fig off the tree and the difficulties of growing one in Michigan I chose to not grow one. But I have had tunnels in my garden for several years now, single layer, and I can tell you that with the thermal ballast provided by the soil itself they give you about 15F, which is probably a bit more than you need to keep your fig alive. A couple oildrums filled with water inside the enclosure will give you extra security by moderating both temperature extremes.
You have to wonder, however, if the heat units at your place will be enough to ripen the figs in time. I have a nice looking jujube, full sun, producing lots of berries, and they never ripen in time (it's just as well, the squirrels like them unripe). You may be able to get the units by keeping the cover until Mem.day and putting it back around Sept. 20.
Tunnels? Not sure that I follow you there. Can you expand on that a bit?
I had not thought of the oil drums. I have a couple, painted black and everything. Full of water and snugged up inside a covering might be helpful. We are getting -4F tonight and -10F tomorrow - happens nearly every year. That is hard to counter for very long.
It seems to me that some years they will ripen and some they will not. We often get a frost in September but just as often not. Where's that damned global warming when you need it? I would hate to put in a fig leading to blame for a decade of early frosts.
I have permanent hoops over the beds. Come Thanksgiving I cover the hoops with 4 mil polyethylene. I uncover April 1. In the intervening time, I harvest whenever the veggies unfreeze. I have mostly chicory and collard, with some tatsoi, kale, arugula, and also the lettuce that will be coming up early in the spring. In years past I was harvesting last on January 1. This year for the first time I will harvest throughout the season.
-10F? Let me be the first to discourage you. The coldest I have seen here in 10 years has been -5F, and some years it does not even get below 0. Figs like it hot, more so than jujube, otherwise they will not make it. Why not something like hardy kiwis? Flavor-wise, they are the equal of figs, and you will get those for sure because they like it mild, but will take 6 years. Nice plant with huge output once it gets going, though you need a lot of space. Or you keep the cover on the fig
Well, I like a challenge and I understand that fresh figs are a delight (if I can get there). That is why I am seeking ideas on how to get them through the winters. I have been told that others in this area have succeeded, although I have not met any of them.
I thought of the kiwi but the fruits are very small, right?
that's the spirit. just keep the cover on long enough and early enough. And perhaps four drums are all you need to keep the temperature inside the cover above 20F.
like a large grape. But in time you get tens of pounds of them every year, per plant. My father in law gets about 150 pounds per plant, but those are the fuzzy ones.
oh bullshit. I have a Chicago fig that can take it as cold as it comes, I think it's called Stella now. Another one calle Vern's Brown Turkey is reliable and productive in the Northwest and bears large, sweet and flavorful dark brown figs with amber flesh and sometimes producing two crops a year. There is also another one called Desert King that can take coastal and cooler areas with yellowish green skin and strawberry colored flesh. Very productive and reliable. You can get any of these or something else they offer (these are the best cold hardy varieties I've seen though) at
formatting link
"John Bachman" wrote in message >
It seems to me that some years they will ripen and some they will
Mine did that only because the sprout I'd planted needed time to form a good tree. The sprout has become a nice low trunked 10 year old and since I don't whack it back anymore (I made the mistake of cutting the main branch down to eight inches one year to "protect" it and now it's a bit too low to the raised beds soil line) and only cut the higher branches back so they'll branch more, my hardy fig gives me earlier fruit setting which ripens earlier. If the season turns cool in September, I get a good batch. If the season stays warm later, I get a second flush of fruit. You owe it to yourself to experience fresh ripened figs. Even a tree purchased now and planted on a warmish day will fruit for you next year. And each year it grows bigger, it will acclimate and give you more figs than you can do anything with. They look like deflating balloons when they're perfect. My problem is the hornets have found my tree and I fear their children will remember the source for their pleasures late in my season last year and return earlier and I'll miss out. These ain't small hornets! Today was the perfectly bitter cold day to kill the tips of the last year's branch growth, which will make cutting the branches back easier because I will see where they were froze back. Once your fig has started forming a tree trunk, it'll be fine. You shouldn't have to winter over the tree at all. Plant it on the south-western side of your property and it'll be fine. If you are afraid the cold will nip it, mulch over the whole thing and put a small enclosing fence around the leaves to keep them in place until March the first two years. (this is how I got my fig sprout, a branch rooted under all the leaves my friend, Mary Emma had put around her own tree, which is a Chicago Turkey fig) Only below zero temperatures held for a week or more would do in this fig tree.
let 'em blame the figs anyway. If it doesn't get down below -5 and only occaisonally, figs should do well if planted on the SW side like I said above.
Well, we have cold winter's when they finally get here and normal to hot spring and summer months in Eastern Tennessee. With all the rains we got last year, my established fig tree used all the overcast days and spring warmth and rains to grow more branches and set fruit earlier and took all seasons to ripen them by August first and second week where we were STILL getting rains. (last year was a very rainy summer for us and not too many hot days) The figs were just as good as always, and held on the tree until I dared not pick them because of the hornets finding them. But I had quite a few to eat out of hand before then, gathering up a few containers with excesses to share with a few people at work who had never had them before. I've ruined several people's love for Fig Newton's now thanks to them tasting figs fresh ripened and sweet. Nothing like that in the cookie. (one woman refused when I told her how sweet and tart they are fresh because she didn't want the Newton taste ruined for her........so the other co-worker got more and he was beside himself they were so good this year, he wants a cutting for himself off my tree now ) Why not something like hardy kiwis? Flavor-wise, they are the equal of figs, and you will get those for sure because they like it mild, but will take 6 years. My point exactly. Figs will produce a few fruit the next year and every year afterwards with more and more as they establish themselves as a small tree or shrub. You don't even have to coppice it to the ground if you don't want to but just whack it back to three foot stems and do that leaf mulch thing packed around the plant and ANY variety will survive this way. I guarantee it. And once you see what One Green World has to offer, you'll want a few acres to try out really neat fruiting trees, shrubs, vines and the like they offer. They even have Paw Paw! And some fruiting things I want to try one of everything....LOL Especially the Honey Berries. This year is my Honey Berry year for my woods. Especially since they can take dryish woods :) Nice plant with huge output once it gets going, though you need a lot of space. That's about right. Mary Emma's kiwi has thick, invasive vines and you HAVE to get two females and a male. And at least One Green WOrld has a guarantee you have both sexes to assure fruiting. (and a neat picture to show you what a male plant SHOULD look like on page 50 of their catalog, as their website isn't up yet, just abilities to order their catalog) they have several cold hardy varieties. Or you keep the cover on the fig
you won't have to do even that with the right fig.>
oh you will. And once you taste a ripe fig there won't be any going back That is why I am seeking ideas on how
If all else fails you can always give me a holler adn I'll lay down a branch and get it to root. That's you're last option. Try One Green World first. top quality plants and a huge selection of awesome things to try with edible fruits.
some, yes, others no. Depends on what kind you grow, if you do. All the best luck. (remember south west side of yer yard for the fig) madgardener. zone 7, Eastern Tennessee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
formatting link
AT:
formatting link
the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the recommendations I make. AND I DID NOT AUTHORIZE ADS AT THE OLD PUREGOLD SITE
i live in new hamster, usda zone 4a and i envy you, you there who lives in zone 5b. it's so strange how just a few degrees can make such a difference (SNIFF). i LOVE figs and when i lived in zone 5a in utah, i had terrific miniature northern brown turkeys that bore heavily and wonderfully. can't do it here but, still, there ARE wondrous plants that WILL grow here and not in your area, like the only rudbeckia which is not invasive and cannot even be pollinated by any insect OR human (i've tried, i've tried) and never goes to seed. ;o) it's a trade-off, i guess.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.