You can be a Driveway Farmer and plop those potted figs onto the blacktop. Keep em watered. The extra heat and sun might see you swimming in fruit.
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My potted plants made dozens of figs which ripened for me, only one has ripened so far on my in ground flock, an Improved Celeste that my ducks found first!
Need Advice on Winterizing First Year In Ground Figs-
I planted these figs this past Spring here in 7B Eastern Shore MD: Adriatic JH, Ronde de Bordeaux, Takoma Violet and Battaglia Green.
Do I need to do more than pile mulch around and over them to get them through their first winter, assuming lows of 10 degrees or so?
Thanks for any advice.
In their first year, fig trees are usually still growing when frost arrives. The green growth uses lots of water, making the stems engorged and vulnerable to hard frost. If they are in the open you should cover them temporarily so they can begin entering dormancy without freezing. Once the leaves have dropped they are ready to be protected for winter, though the more cold they experience before protection (without being damaged) the further they will enter dormancy and the better off they will be.
I covered a couple today just out of caution since there is a chance of frost and they are in a low lying area where cold pools, hopefully the wind stays all night and no frost though.
If they are planted near a wall or something else that will give them shelter, or stopped growing more than a month ago you should be fine to forego frost protection. In that case I usually wait until the forecast is calling for mid twenties to protect them⌠Which is usually rather quick and dirty, bending to the ground, pinning, and covering.
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Thanks.
[quote=âhoosierbanana, post:404, topic:3182â]
you should cover them temporarily so they can begin entering dormancy without freezing.
What material do you recommend for covering them so they can enter dormancy? How about covering with a garbage can?
I bet a trash can would work great. I usually bend the top down (not too much because the wood is brittle until after the leaves/sap drop) plop a sandbag on the tips to keep it there and cover with row cover, itâs nice because you can leave it on as long as youâd like, or black ground cover/tarp that I pull off in between cold spells.
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What about stripping leaves off first year in ground figs to accelerate dormancy?
I have tried removing leaves before frost to improve hardiness and it didnât seem to help⌠If you do, be sure to leave a good stub to fall off on its own and form a scar because gray mold can get in through the leaf petioles and fig stems, especially in high humidity.
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That doesnât accelerate dormancy. If anything it causes the plant to put out new tender growth. Keep the leaves to produce sugars that can act like antifreeze.
Cut the water and fertilizer to improve hardiness of in ground figs. Youâd like the wood brown, not green, going into fall.
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Hey there.
I would like to add 2 Fig trees to our new property.
Does anyone have some recommendations?
They should be cold hardy (~ -18C, 0F) and fruit early (main crop)
Very sweet ones would be great.
Here are some varieties that are available here:
Dalmatie
Dauphine
Longue D´Aout
Madeleine des deux Saisons
Ronde de Bordeaux
Violette de Bordeaux (Negronne)
Would be great if someone could help me.
Like Brady told me you can make your vent and buy the temperature controlled actuator from Harbor Freight for about $25. You can set it to open and close at a certain temp.
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Chicago Hardy is one of the best. I think itâs the best tasting if you can get it. VDB is good too, but Iâm not sure how hardy it is. I put mine in my garage for winter. I havenât tried any of the others on your list.
Thanks.
I saw that variety and a few others on the âFeigenhof - Viennaâ catalogue
Noice!
I think ill get that one. 
Now i need a 2nd fig variety ⌠hmm
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What about âWinterharte vom Zaubergartenâ from Austria.
It should be very cold hardy. I have rooted some cuttings this year (very easy).
Link: http://sortenhandbuch.arche-noah.at/arten/77-feige
(bottom of the page)
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RDB and Michurinska10/Florea are two of the earliest varieties if protected without dieback. RDB tastes better but may fruit later with dieback.
Hardy Chicago is a good one too and should fruit after dieback.
VDB is a good one for a container.
Of that list, I would grow Michurinska10/Florea and Hardy Chicago in ground and RDB and VDB in containers. Brogiotto Nero, Col de Dame Noir, and Grise de Saint John are reportedly good varieties for containers as well if your season is long and bright enough.
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-20c ? Hard to believe.
Warm fall weather is helping some stragglers ripen, despite the big rains these have been quite good- Lyndhurst White (pictured), Marsailles Black VS, Petite Aubique. All seem quite resistant to splitting. At least another week of non-frosty weather ahead, good for figs, but starting to makie me worried for the hardening off of my other treesâŚ
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I ate some for breakfast the other morning. I am also getting lots of ripe figs from the extended warmth this year. Ive probably ate twenty or so that would not have ripened.
VDB was a bit dry from a to dry of a pot. Verte was delicious. Itâs in the ground. My best tasting was Chicago Hardy. It was the sweetest. I lost a bunch too from not keeping a close eye on them. some feel on the ground and others split after the rain and ants were all over them. Now to see how well I can over winter the in ground trees.
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Had some do that too. They were full of ants.