Alison you're so lucky....your figs look lovely!

I gave my DH a fig tree one Christmas after he'd been saying he wanted one. It did well in a large pot and produced figs right away. Then he said he wanted to plant it in the ground to make a large tree. So we took it out of the pot and planted it with good soil. It hasn't grown or produced a fig in the past 2 years....just a few leaves that come and go. I wish we'd just left it in the pot. It was such a thrill to pick our own figs! Good luck with yours. (And better keep them in pots too, lol.)

SharonCb

Congratulations on your fig, Alison :) I remember when mine started producing a few years ago; it was so exciting.

I have four trees planted over a three-year span. Two were purchased, and the other two were transplanted from my mom's house; all are doing well and producing like mad. I dried a bunch this year (we chop them up and use them in place of raisins) and put up five pints of preserves.

Sharon, I'm sorry to hear that your tree isn't doing well. Maybe it doesn't have enough sun or gets too much wind? My grandma always said figs should be planted close enough to the house "to smell the coffee"--in other words, so close you can smell the coffee brewing when you stand beside the tree. Mine are all in the ground not far out of my kitchen door. Maybe yours just needs to be relocated.

Sharon -- perhaps your fig is too comfortable? I honestly don't know much about figs, but I know they seem to thrive in poor situations -- maybe a little leaner soil is better for them? Can you pop it back in a big pot?

My aunt and uncle have a fig in their yard in Washington State that his father planted a good 30-40 years ago. It's thick and lush every summer - but has never produced a single fig.

I'm seriously envious of your figs, slowlane. And I love the idea that they like to be close enough to the house and the people to "smell the coffee" -- very sociable of them!

When I was a kid I remember sitting on the front porch of my grandmother's house, eating figs fom the tree that grew there -- it was heavenly! Being able to eat figs from my own tree has always been one requiremen of nirvana for me. Now, if I could just find someone to comb my hair all day long....

Thanks for those tips Alison and slowlane. Well we planted the fig tree about 15 feet from the house and it's in a sheltered spot near the carport, gets plenty of sun and little wind.

I'm all for putting it back in the pot, or at least digging it up to have a look at the roots. Otherwise I might just buy another one and keep it in a pot. I miss those fresh figs!

SharonCb

Hi Alison! I'm very envious of your figs. They are my favorite fruit & the single thing I miss most about CA. I note from your bio that you're in Ohio. Do you leave your potted figs outside all winter? I've read several articles over the past couple years saying that I can grow figs here in my location (Southeast coastal CT) but I've been leery to try. I am in Zone 7. Our winter lows are in the mid-20s to mid-30s. We have many winter nights with no freeze. We live right on the shore so wind is frequent. Once in a while it will dip into the upper single digits but not for days on end. And, I could always pull the pot into the insulated garage on those nights.

Anyway, please share with another gardener how you are growing wonderful figs in Ohio? Many thanks.

/tricia

As if I have any secrets! But I'll tell you what I do, in case it's any help.

My figs are in little plastic planters, maybe 15"x15"x20", on the south facing front porch. The soil is just potting soil with a little compost, and a layer of rabbit manure this spring. I try to water at least once a week in the summer, but they've gone a little limp once or twice.

In the fall, as soon as the leaves fall off, I put the pots in an unheated internal staircase. It never gets below freezing, but it's often in the 40's. I water them occassionally during the winter, maybe every 4-6 weeks. (Don't want them to die, but I don't want them to break dormancy either.) I bring them outside when they start to leaf out. I'm not above pulling them inside for the night if it goes down below freezing, but they seemed ot have had no problems with a night here or there in the mid 30's.

I've heard of people putting them in unheated basements or gragares for the winter. I don't think light is as much of an issue as temperature -- I think you want it in the low 40's or so.

I was concerned about the size of the pots, but the folks at the fig forum seemed to feel it was fine -- perhaps they like a little confinement.

I'm blanking on the name of the nursery where I ordered these Celeste figs (it was recommended by the folks on the fig forum) but they weren't very expensive -- maybe $20 each? So it wasn't a huge investment. If you've got a place in mind to overwinter them, I'd say go for it, tricia! Definintely check out the Fig forum here; I think there are a number of people who are growing great figs in similar situations to yours.

This summer I've enjoyed peaches from my own tree, berries from my own vines, and figs from my own tree -- all for the first time. And you know, they're right -- nothing tastes as sweet as the things you grow yourself!

Those are so cute, thanks for shraring those pics!

How great is that!!! We use to live in Sacto, Ca. where there was a fig tree in the yard behind us...they let us pick as many figs as we wanted...sure miss that.

Here in Reno figs don't grow well...enjoy, enjoy, enjoy,

Linda

That does it. I'm going to get Moe to plant me a fig tree. Do we have to wait until next spring to plant one or can we do it now?

Alison, I enjoyed reading your homepage all about your gardens.

Ann

I'm not sure about where you live, Ann, but my botanist step-dad always makes me wait until plants are dormant to move them--late fall/early winter, usually. But if you are buying one, the decision will probably be made for you since nurseries usually only have them in stock once a year.

That said, my most-productive tree is one he dug up with just a hint of root left, the top was chopped off--it was about the size (and shape!) of a man's arm. He brought it to me in mid-summer because they were moving. I stuck it in the ground and it's fantastic. Then again, my north-Mississippi dirt can grow almost anything as long as *I* mostly leave it alone.

Hi,
My Mother has a nice size fig tree in her yard. She hates figs. She wants to get rid of the tree. She has a sign in the front yard that say Free Figs, and no one knocks. Dad hasn't dug it up yet, but one of these days it wouldn't surprise me if 78 yr old Mother is out there digging it up herself. Just wanted to share.
Sapphires