Container grown figs

[brooklynodog]

Hi there, I am new to the forum, and would like to seek some advice. This year I am growing more fruit than before, and have dedicated a small section to this. I have no room left for a fig tree, but have been told I can grow one in a pot. What variety would be best, and does anyone have any tips please?

[Shortie]

Hi Brooklynodog

I've moved your post to the Feeling Fruity board as the Growing Techniques is a reference only board

Welcome btw

[Alison]

I've just been given a Brown Turkey fig tree. Looks a bit sad at the moment, pretty much just a single stem about 4' tall but with quite a few side buds which look like they'll burst forth pretty soon. I've read up what to do with them and the general advice seems to be that they like their roots to be contained in something about 15" square / round! Therefore even if you put then min the ground you should contain them in a pit. Mine is going in a pot (when I've nipped to the garden centre to buy a new one!) against a wall so that I can protect it in winter if necessary. You are quite a bit further south than me so may not need to protect. Hopefully somebody will be along later who grows one to let us in on all the insider knowledge!

[brooklynodog]

Thanks for your advice Alison. Yes we are further south, but I still recorded -7C last week out the back of my garden!! Even stinging nettles were blackened.

[Alison]

Yikes, -7! Thought it was cold here but I only recordered -5 on our patio but then again it is fairly sheltered.

[brooklynodog]

Anybody else got any advice please?

[deadwood]

Have not tried one myself but the brown turkey fig is the one for outside in the UK.

Everything says they have to have their roots restricted. If a pot, say 12 ins, then don't expect too many figs each year, 12-20 seems the number.

If planted outside then is the site sunny? Figs need the sun. If you put it in a pit then the pit needs to be lined with paving slabs and the base needs to be filled with rubble. Effectively you are constructing a big pot. After that I presume that you will be training it up a wall?

[brooklynodog]

Thanks for that Deadwood. Do they need training up something then? I thought they could be free standing, if not i may need to think again. Yes I can put it in a south facing position though.

[SarzWix]

Info below from the 'Ask Ken' section of .: Ken Muir :.

Figs are sub-tropical plants and need plenty of sun and warmth to grow and crop well
outdoors in Britain. They can be grown outdoors in the south and west but further north
need a very warm sheltered situation outdoors, otherwise they must be grown under
glass. Root restriction should be provided to keep the tree compact and fruitful, as without it
the fig is liable to grow rather large and remain vegetative.

VARIETIES
BROWN TURKEY — Produces large oval fruits with very
sweet, deep red flesh. It is the most reliable and widely
grown variety. Heavy cropping. Ripens August to
September. Self-fertile. R.H.S. Award of Garden Merit.
BRUNSWICK — A heavy cropping variety. Produces
exceptionally large fruit with greenish white flesh that is
pink in the centre. Self-fertile.
WHITE MARSEILLES — This early ripening fig produces
large fruits with white, transparent flesh. Sweet and juicy
with good flavour. Heavy cropping. Fairly hardy. Can be
grown outdoors if given a sheltered position. Also very
suitable for a cold greenhouse. Self-fertile.

CROPPING HABIT

It is important to understand the cropping habit of the fig. The fig bears two to three crops
each year but only one ripens in our climate. The figs are formed in the axils of the leaves
near the tips of the young shoots. It is the small pea-sized embryo figs formed in the autumn
that overwinter to produce a crop of figs the following summer (August/September). The crop
of figs produced in the spring and early summer never ripen and should be removed in
November.
The fig does not produce visible flowers; they are enclosed within the centre of the fruit.
Varieties grown in the U.K. do not require pollination and the fruits are seedless.

TREE FORMS
Figs need warmth and sun and so are best grown as fan-trained trees against south or
south-west facing walls or fences. In very favourable areas they can be grown as freestanding
bush trees. They are excellent for pot culture.


PLANTING & ROOT RESTRICTION
The fig should be planted in an open-based box which should be constructed of 60cm x 60cm
(2ft x 2ft) square paving slabs or something similar, set into the ground with the rim about
2.5cm (1in) above ground level. The base of the box should be packed with brick rubble or
broken tiles to a depth of about 22cm (9in) to provide drainage and to prevent the roots
escaping. The box should be filled with a loam-based potting compost such as John Innes No.
3. Alternatively a pot of 35-45cm (14-18in) diameter can be used and plunged into the ground,
provided it has adequate drainage holes. Another option is to plant the fig in a Root Control
Bag (RCB). If grown against a wall, plant approximately 25cm (10in) away from the wall.

PRUNING & TRAINING A FAN
Figs are usually obtained from the nursery as two year old plants. They may have a single
stem or two or more side shoots.
In March following planting, those plants with a single stem should be pruned back to about
38cm (15in). Plants with side shoots should have their central leaders removed and their side
shoots shortened by a quarter to a third, to stimulate the production of further shoots. During
the summer the side shoots are tied to wires, spaced 30cm (12 in) apart in a similar way to a
peach.

PRUNING THE ESTABLISHED FAN
To encourage the formation of compact short-joined shoots to carry the next year’s figs, the
growing points of every other shoot carried by the main framework branches should be
removed once they have made four or five leaves, providing this is before the end of June.
In March or April after the worst frosts have passed, all dead, diseased and frost-damaged
wood should be removed. Tie in the young shoots 15-30cm (6-12in) apart, cutting surplus
shoots back to one bud.
In November, half the shoots that carried fruits during the summer should be pruned back to
2.5cm (1in). This will encourage new growth from the base the following spring. All the
remaining shoots should be tied in parallel with the wall, approximately 20-30cm (9-12in)
apart. Any growth in between should be cut back to source to avoid overcrowding.

GROWING FIGS IN CONTAINERS
Container grown figs are best grown as a bush on a short stem. It is best to select a plant
with three or four branches coming from the stem around 38cm (15in) from the ground.
Alternatively, cut back single stem plants to encourage branching. In the late winter cut back
these branches by a half to develop a compact framework.
In the spring remove crossing and frost damaged shoots to maintain an open centre. Prune
back over-long and bare branches where necessary to 5cm (2in) to encourage the formation
of new shoots. In the summer pinch out any new shoots at 5 or 6 leaves to encourage fruit
formation.

MANURING
In March each year, broadcast over the rooting area a compound fertilizer as recommended
for apples. When the tree is carrying a heavy crop, a liquid feed high in potash, such as a
tomato fertilizer, should be applied every two weeks until the fruit begins to ripen.
Pot-grown trees should be fed weekly during the growing season, alternating a liquid feed
high in potash, such as tomato fertilizer with a balanced feed.

WINTER PROTECTION
In colder areas and in severe winters, the embryo figs can be damaged by frosts. Fig trees
can be protected against frost by using a cover of bracken or straw held in place by a large
mesh net. This should be put on in November and removed once growth starts in late April
and May.
Pot-grown trees can be placed in a frost-free place such as a shed, garage or unheated
greenhouse over winter. Alternatively, if this is not available, the container can be lagged with
bubble wrap, sacking or some other suitable insulation and placed against a sheltered side of
the house, away from the prevailing wind. Pack around the branches with straw and cover
with hessian or horticultural fleece. Remove after the danger or frost is passed but before
bud burst.

HARVESTING
Figs are ready for harvesting when they become soft and hang downwards. Small splits
develop in the skin and a drop of nectar may be exuded from the eye of the fruit. They should
be inspected regularly, as ripe figs will soon rot on the tree. Once picked they will keep for 2-
3 weeks if kept somewhere cool.

PESTS, DISEASES & DISORDERS
Squirrels and birds are the most serious pests. The trees are generally free from disease but
occasionally suffer from Coral Spot (dead twigs become covered in pink pustules). Diseased
twigs should be cut back to a healthy bud and the prunings should be burned.

[brooklynodog]

Crikey! All you ever wanted to know about figs, but were afraid to ask! Thats absolutely fantastic, thanks!

[smallblueplanet]

Have not tried one myself but the brown turkey fig is the one for outside in the UK....

Think Brown Turkey is a fairly 'bog standard' variety not necessarily chosen for taste. We tried to grow it once when we lived oop north.

What varieties are/have people grown and how do they taste (I love finding fig trees out in the countryside when I'm on holiday abroad, yummy!)?

[yoanbob]

we have a brown turkey, its our second one my advice would be dont put the pot anywhere a door can fall on it and cover with fleese when it gets really cold.

[smallblueplanet]

Lol! thanks for the advice yoanbob, what do BT taste like, do you know?

[Paul Wagland]

Brown Turkey is the classic fig for the UK climate - it's the most hardy. It comes from Provence originally I think. I had one outside the bedroom window of my old flat in Portsmouth - it was about 20 foot tall and fruited heavily. The figs, if you were brave enough to climb for them, were as good as any I have ever tasted.

The other variety I have seen sold in the UK is 'Desert King' (sometimes called 'Charlie', I think). It's self-fertile and apparently has very tasty fruit, but I can't find a supplier at the moment.

I've just discovered that Seeds of Italy offer a few varieties though:

Seeds of Italy - Fruit, Italian Figs, Pomegranate and Wine Grapes

Not sure how hardy those would be, but worth a go?

[smallblueplanet]

Seeds of Italy - Fruit, Italian Figs, Pomegranate and Wine Grapes

Not sure how hardy those would be, but worth a go?

Why not if its being grown in a container, it could be wrapped up and put in a cold greenhouse, how delicate are they (edit) Northern Italy must get fairly cold?