Are you going to lift them or try to leave them in and overwinter them? I just can't bring myself to put one of my Chicagos in the ground, but I really want to next spring.
I read somewhere, that a person sunk them in perforated pots so roots could explore the ground, then dug them out and root pruned them back to the holes for winter storage.

I was surprised with how well the Chicagos taste, but I didn't get as many as you did. How do you like the Ronde? I'd like to get a couple other varieties next year.

Chris

I have no choice but to plant them in the ground. The wind kept on knocking them over and they dried up too fast. The ronde is great because the skin is thin and sweet. The down side of the thin skin is they tense to crack on rainy days when they're about to ripe just like most fig.

I think I will just leave them in the ground and wrap protect them for winter. I planted them early in the ground this year so their roots should be established.

I have 2 Chicago hardy figs planted in the ground. The trees are going into their 3rd winter and I have gotten fruit every year. I cut them back to 2-3 feet after frost and burry them in leaves. Last year they got a little frost damage on the ends of the branches but came back full force with plenty of water. Here is my question; The trees are 5-6 feet tall, loaded with figs the size of a US quarter but I have harvested only about 20 out of probably 200 figs because they seem to sit at the quarter size for a long time, then all at once in a 2 or 3 day period they get full sized and ripe. I only have 14-25 days to frost. Is it possible to encourage the wasps that pollinate the figs so that I get to harvest more of the figs before frost? Is it the wasp that the fruit is waiting for or is it simply a matter of the fruit (flower) reaching a maturity that allows pollination? One more question; When I eat the figs am I eating the eggs of the wasp? If so I am fascinated, figs are remarkable and so tasty.

Blayde the figs do not get pollinated by the fig wasp unless you live in the Mediterranean area or coastal California. The fig wasp is very tiny and can only live in warmer climates. Common figs such as Hardy Chicago don't need pollinated but if they did their taste would improve, which would be better for us :)
As for your figs ripening, time is what you need. Unfortunately for a lot of us many of the figs on our trees will never get a chance to fully ripen because of our short growing seasons. By taking off some of the younger figs it can help send more energy to the older figs but this late in the season it more than likely won't help since frost will be coming in a few weeks.
Next year when your tree grows you should pinch the branch tips after 5 to 7 leaves to encourage the growth of figs. This tip was provided by another member here. From my understanding it should help to ripen the figs earlier by limiting the number of fruits on the tree.

Hello Ch3rri, Glad to see your fig harvest. You should be okay in winter in ground in your area. You might want to cover them the first year.
The Ronde de Bordeaux is also adaptable in our area.

Bass