I didn’t treat my figs all the same this winter, so I’m not sure how helpful my experience will be, but I’ll share it anyway.
The three different ways I managed my figs were: 1) unprotected, 2) covered in a regular gardening pot (these pots were just placed over figs upside down and with a rock on top so they wouldn’t blow over), and 3) covered in a gardening pot and then completely covered in mulch. All figs were cut back to about a foot above the ground. All were placed in the ground last spring and entered the winter two years old, some from cuttings some from air layers. It was a mild winter with a low of only -1.2
Covered in a pot and mulch: Yellow Lebanese, Makedonia Dark.
- Both of these figs survived fine with no die back.
Just covered in a pot: Black Zadar, Nero600, Sal’s Gene, LSU Champagne, Black Bethlehem, Nordland, Stella, Florea, Lussheim, Sunfire, RdB, Brooklyn White, Staten Island Bomb, Malta Black, Dark Portugese, LSU Tiger, Gino’s.
- It looks like most of these survived but all died back to the ground. It’s still a bit early to tell but I think Black Zadar died, and maybe Sunfire too. I’m not sure. It’s been cold recently and not everything is fully awake yet. The one notable exception from this group is Staten Island Bomb. That one seems to have suffered no die back and is really taking off. It shows a lot of promise for being cold hardy in this area with minimum protection. I’m really excited about it.
Unprotected: Unk Teramo, Red Lebanese (Bekaa Valley), Red Italian, English BT, Pakistani Brown, Yellow Greek, Mike’s Czech.
- Too early to tell with these. I’ll update when I know what made it and what didn’t.
This summer will be another test to see what comes back from the ground and is able to ripen fruits. There are a few more potted ones I’ve already planted out for another round of winter testing, then I’ll just keep what works and forget the rest. My plan is to grow out the winners like they’re not-quite-hardy raspberries – keep a tight row of them that I chop back low each fall, cover in mulch, and then grow out again in the spring.