ANyone tried growing fig trees?

[Ryan]

Evening all.

We are in the middle of moving the garden about to have a good run at growing as much as we can this year and wondered if anyone had tried to grow a fig tree?

I know that they have to be warm and luckily we have a nice warm area in the garden that is also quite sheltered. We will probably grow it in a pot to start with, but if anyone has hints and tips they will be greatly appreciated!

I have had a search about and it seems they should grow okay but I may need to get my skates on as they seem to start growing in March!

Cheers
Ryan :)

[Mo]

We have one against the wall.
Figs take 2 years to grow but if they are too big they don't overwinter, so you have to take them off. Not quite sure what size, I don't like figs anyway. OH does, and he gets some, it's a case of watching till they are ripe then picking and eating.

[Meredith]

We have a fig growing against a South facing wall and it does okay, most of the time. We are in a particularly bleak and windy part of Yorkshire and if they can grow here they can grow anywhere.

The roots need to be restricted, otherwise they grow huge and don't have many fruits. Some advise growing in an old tumble dryer or washing machine drum, buried in the ground. We have planted ours against a wall with paving slabs around it to restrict the roots.

[Ryan]

Mo, Meredith

Thanks for the replies - our garden is south-ish facing so fingers crossed!
Will have to track one down now that isn't a silly price to buy!

[4pigs]

Hello

I have grown figs for many years - it seems to be one of the things that is happy with me!

I keep mine in large pots but they are happy in the garden. They need a lot of water in the Summer (dont let them dry out) and do remember to feed them every couple of weeks.

Depending on what variety you have - you can have 2 crops a year. As a rule, once you get past September any fruit larger than a Peanut - pick it off and throw it away - it wont grow and just takes energy from the plant.

As soon as things warm up in Spring get ready with the water and food.

I keep mine in very sunny spots in the garden and they do well (they do seem to fruit more when contained in large pots).

I have mine in the largest plastic pots i can find - try Pound-stretcher or similar - this way i can still move them!

They are great plants with big, deep green exotic looking leaves and make a great "back drop" for bright coloured annuals - looking especially good on a patio but have the bonus of fruits - if you like them of course! Luckily I do!

You can take wood cuttings from them (once established) to make new plants and lovely presents.

Jo x

[Ryan]

Jo.

Thanks for that - fortunately I do like them (only found out over Christmas that I did!) so if I can get 2 crops a year from them even better.

We will stick in in a pot on our patio bit, so we can have a BBQ, figs and homebrew....roll on the summer :)

Ry

[Essex Bird]

Hi, if you dont mind waiting for them to establish, Wil King sons sell them very small, probably in a couple of months..... i brought one last year, i did bare a couple of figs which i pulled off to let the roots establish a bit, hopefully i might get 1 or 2 this year

[Smallholder]

Interesting read this thread, as I have two youngish fig trees planted in large pots down at the allotment... One allong a brick wall and another along one of the greenhouse sides.

Can I ask what feed is advised for fig plants, I tend to top up the pots each year with a fresh layer of compost but hadn't thought about feeding them

[Mo]

We have one in poor soil next to the house, against the S wall (rather untrained and blocking the path).
Never feed it. Don't know if we should.
OH says he won't get a crop this year , the frost has killed all the little figs.

[4pigs]

When i "feed" the other pot plants i just use a phostragen (sp) feed, it's in an orange coloured box - if thats any help - and i just use this on the figs and they seem happy enough. At the moment there are lots of little figs (just slightly larger than a peanut) on my main plant.
Am trying to grow some cuttings but nothing definite at the moment.

Jo x

[Maggie1]

The rule of the thumb with fig trees is when you put them in the ground to make like a wall around the root to restrict the roots going mad and it encourages it to bear more fruit.

[mhill]

Oh how nice! I love figs! I googled them and they do have an exotic look to them. I have to think of getting one myself. We still have a little space on our terrace and it might do well there. I have to think about it. Do you know if you can get these plants for sale anywhere? Should I check a Gardner?

[Mike24]

We planted a really small one against a south facing fence last year, it has doubled in size over the year but no fruits as yet.

[madmum]

We inherited a fig tree whien we moved in,it really needs pruning ,any hints?