Brassica does not grow well in summer in the deep south, that's a fact. Cabbage, collard, kale, broc and sprouts are all high-latitude cool weather adapted. They do well in the cooler seasons in the southern states, not summer. Some cauliflower and broc strains are adapted to the mediterranean type climates, but that is a long way from the near sea-level tropics. This odd request pops up perennially on these boards. It's an odd and rather presumptuous idea, that people in the tropics don't know anything about growing adapted vegetables to their climate. Doesn't it seem likely that at least some gardeners in any tropical region are experts in the matter?

Guys, thanks for the add'l replies. Last winter, I mostly kept them in storage room adjacent to the house, bringing them out for occasional watering on warmer days. That is, except for 1 tree that I brought inside maybe a bit more than a month after the first frost (i.e., allowing some dormancy, but before the coldest part of the winter) for a test case. The one kept inside did fine, and began to grow. The rest took a beating, and their main stems all died. They did resprout from the very base, but it wasn't pretty. I can technically boast of 100% survival, but last winter was a fairly mild one, temperature-wise. For various reasons (mostly, lack of space!) I need to keep these potted; I will try putting them in a bed of mulch and top soil, to see if that helps. They're so small that I'm not worried about snow load breakage yet, but I will watch for that. Sam, just saw your post as I was typing this... that's interesting that they will live up to the DC area! Thanks again.

Florisse.... You are displaying the classic symptoms of becoming a Fig-Psychotic! We were all "normal" once, but for many of us, that was a long time ago. I was bitten back in 2007, and the disease is insidious. If you want that tree to really take off this season, go to Home Depot, and buy an 18 gallon storage tub, drill plenty of wholes into the bottom, fill it with a good potting mix and plant your new Mission fig tree into the container. Get yourself a lawn chair, then suit back with a nice drink and watch your tree grow from day to day. Wait until the tree starts really producing those delectable figs! This will become your botanical child. Yes, you are hooked! I have my containerized trees in large tubs, and I use dollies to move the trees around. The amount of information that you will find on this forum can be overwhelming, so don't try to read it all at once. If you decide to grow the trees in containers, concentrate on the information posted regarding this kind of specific culture. Containerized figs need a different type of culture than figs grown in-ground. Read, and if you need to ask questions, everyone of this forum will give you the answers that you seek. Growing figs is probably the most rewarding fruit tree that you can grow...you'll have figs this year, and every year from now on. Winter treatment will be your biggest "problem". In what climate zone do you live? If you have an unheated garage, figs can be overwintered there. You need to tell us your climate zone and how you intend to overwinter your trees...but that can wait. For now, just enjoy your trees. Good luck! Frank

Like Rob said, too much fertilizer at once can damage plants. If the concentration of dissolved solids in the soil solution exceeds the concentration within the roots, the osmotic flow of water into the roots can be reversed, causing the roots to lose water rather than absorb it. This is called plasmolysis, or root burn. But as long as the concentration is appropriate, plants cannot be harmed by frequency of fertilizing. If you want, you can start with a reduced strength like Rob suggested. That may be best for indoor plants. Most outdoor succulents in full growth appreciate a surprising amount of water and fertilizer. They can almost be grown like tropicals. I normally use 80ppm N (~2/3 of full strength), but plan on bumping it up to full strength at every watering this summer. Here's a good calculator if you want to determine the actual concentration of your fertilizer mixture. -Chris