Glen, DNA Gardens has a Brown Turkey fig on their website. They say it will produce fruit outside and can be brought in for the winter. It might be interesting to e-mail them. Connie

Herman and others, I have a question related to the above thoughts: what if I took one of those very large Rubbermaid storage containers (not quite certain of the # of gallons, but they're big rectangular thingies with lids) and literally set it down into the ground in the fall (kind of the way you half-bury a container, except put this so the top of the container is at nearly ground level or maybe even slightly below), and then took dormant figs (smaller ones, maybe under two or three feet?) out of their containers, bagged their rootballs in Ziploc bags (with dirt around them), and lay/stacked them inside the container, popped the lid on it tight (presuming it'd be nearly water-proof) and then heaped some dirt and mulch over the top, effectively creating a mini root cellar, but guarded from water and rodents, etc., by the plastic container's walls. Would this work in theory for even young rooted cuttings to overwinter them? you could even wrap them in something insulating and bag them loosely inside the Rubbermaid container before you "put them to bed" for the winter, if there was any worry about water seeping into the container at all. Thoughts? Sherry

That's interesting. I didn't realize figs would continue root growth while dormant. I know other plants do (why fall planting is such a good idea), but I kind of thought of figs as a hot weather kind of plant that shuts down. Never considered it. That changes things. My big concern with overwintering just potted bareroot trees has more to do with moisture in the pots than cold temps. Heavily rooted plants seem to regulate water better - even while dormant. The channels through the soil that the roots make maybe? What I have here is kind of an "overpotting" situation. I have enough roots for the size pot, but they are all in one spot, basically, surrounded by a mass of water retentive soiless mix. Not a healthy situation - making me nervous - the pots are sodden. I've actually started wicking some of the moisture out with clay pots and paper towels. I've overwintered very successfully in the garage - even when temps dropped to 10*F in there. The only time I had a number of plants die was early on, when they seemed dry in late winter/early spring, and I gave them a drink. A number died. I know it was the water because I also "helped out" some hosta I had in the garage with a drink and lost them also, and they are dead hardy. Never did that again. The problem is finding a place cool enough to keep them below 40* F. Anyone have any experience overwintering at higher temps (40* +)? If I go this route, I'd probably want to take you up on the Wilt Pruf. Thanks for the offer. Another benefit of a deep horse manure mulch might also be in preserving roots. Many roots are right at soil level (probably why it got the reputation for being shallow rooted) and low temps and fluctuations (freeze-thaw) might do damage. So not only would you have new root growth, but probably also root preservation. This manure mulch sounds better and better. I think there is a little misunderstanding about horse manure. When I say it's hot I mean that it heats up when composted, not that it "burns" roots. Old time market gardeners in Canada used to use it to produce melons. They dug a pit, covered it with a cold frame and put in very fresh horse manure and a layer of soil. Planted melons in the soil very early and got a big start on the season using the heat from the manure. I'm not sure where it ranks in "burn" potential - I'll believe Christy's assertion that it's less "burny" than cow - sounds like she's talking from experience (How great to have your own manure sources). It would be helpful to know just how old the manure your friend gets actually is. Probably through the hottest part of the process? I have a friend with large manure making machines (Clydesdales)and could get some, but would want to make sure I'm reproducing the conditions your friend has.

Spectrum, More or less, ALL figs (Ficus carica) have the same hardiness. Some (e.g., Hardy Chicago) are claimed to be more hardy, but actually they only bounce back from any ground winter kill to produce fruit the following summer. Others may be slightly less hardy (or more prone to rot - e.g., PN, VdB), and may not come back at all. The difference is not THAT big... Two falls ago, I was in GreekTown Baltimore MD, and I have seen some BIG unprotected fig trees. Speaking to some of the owners, they informed me that, that location seems to be a demarcation line. A few more miles up north, fig trees need to be winter-protected, else they would be winter-killed (at least when very young), but not there in GT, MD... Also the Chesapeake Bay temperature-buffering waters must be playing a very important helping factor.