Figs

[jaimie]

Hi Sarraceniac

I am wondering whether you have any experience of growing figs in the Scarborough area. I have three different varieties which I am planning to grow up a wall (if they have survived this frost as they are still in the containers they came in). I live in Hunmanby, and was told recently by an expert with local knowledge that it is ideal as it is near enough the sea to get the warming influence but far enough away not to get blasted.

Unfortunately I took a delivery of assorted fruit trees before Christmas when the ground was so waterlogged that I quickly potted up all the bare rooted ones into anything I could lay my hands on, but hadn't foreseen this hard frost.

I am growing the figs more for their luxuriant leaves than for great expectations of fruit, but fruit would be nice too. There were several fig trees in my French garden which were unstopable, so many figs that most of them were left for the birds and insects. Sitting quietly in the garden, every now and then there was a plop as another over ripe fig hit the ground. And we had really cold winters too which didn't bother the trees at all. Didn't bother the red and black currants either.

[sarraceniac]

Hi Jamie. I've got a couple of Brown Turkeys that are only a few years old but haven't bothered with any others, reckoning that if these didn't do anything then no other variety would. I put one in the ground in a south facing place and one in a pot. The one in the pot produced a few small fruits this year and is currently in the cold greenhouse to see if I can save any for next year. The one in the ground has never done anything except produce leaves, unless I failed to spot them and then lost them in winter. I guess I should have restricted the roots but at the time I got them I knew nothing at all about them as opposed to the very little that I know now.

The one thing I do know is that they are fairly hardy but after the last couple of weeks I have my doubts about the one in the plot. I do agree with your expert though that the temperate (normally) winters round here are ideal. I don't know about the current one though. I love pushing half hardies to the limit and usually lose about 10% of my stock over the winter. I think I'm looking at about 33% this year but none of us will know until next summer. I reckon the wall is a good idea as long as it is south or south west facing. The old heat sink effect should help.

Sorry I can't be a great deal of help, in fact if you have some in France you probably know more about them than I do. All I can say is that they have survived previous winters, even last February's sudden cold snap. This year I am a little more concerned as it seems more prolonged.

Merry Christmas. I just spotted this whilst waiting for guests and thought I would answer as best I could now.

[jaimie]

Figs

Thanks for your reply Sarraceniac,

I'll just have to wait until spring and see if they have survived. One is a Brown Turkey, one a Kadota and the other Jordan, all said to be hardy. I intend to grow them in painted galvanised dustbins against a south west wall.

[greasyfire]

Im trying to grow figs from cutting, its not working out

[sarraceniac]

Im trying to grow figs from cutting, its not working out

Apparently the easy way is to simply put the cutting in either wet tissue or a mix of vermiculite and perlite in a zip-lock bag and leave it somewhere nice and warm. Never tried it myself but friends have reported 50-90% success rates. Air layering is even more successful if you have the mummy plant.

[realfood]

I have a fig growing outside against a South facing wall in Glasgow and it has produced ripe figs for the last three years now. The roots are restricted in a sunken pot. The hardiest Figs such as Brown Turkey and Bavaria should be hardy down to -18C.

[HayleyB]

I'm going to plant a few Brown Turkeys in the Spring, I'm hoping to get good crops as I love the fruit.

[northepaul]

I was given a small brown turkey last year its about 8 inches high now, when do you think it should be ok to put outside? Its currently in my unheated conservatory.

[sarraceniac]

Where you are I would leave them under glass for this winter, outside from May and leave them there permanently.

[jogette]

oh dear! reading this thread reminded me that I have 4 fig cuttings given this autumn and plonked in a planter with other cuttings for company. They are currently sitting under 4 inches of snow. Ah well if they do survive I won't have to worry about hardiness

The friend who supplied them said they were a white fig??