Poly Tunnel Fruit Trees and "down time"

[marchogaeth]

Do container grown fruit trees that spend most of the season inside benefit from time outside? I have peach, nectarine and fig.

I usually drag the stone fruit out from August to December but haven't done that with a couple of them this year (for all the wrong reasons!) so I was wondering if they should come out now for a say two moths if I cobble a waterproof shelter for them.

FYI. The other one is a very early peach tree and last year it had blossom on just as we hit the really bad spring and so just didn't get fertilised along with some winter beans which is really unusual, normally I get flies etc very early on. That's been out for months and I noticed today that it is covered in buds so hope it is going to be all right after this week's frosts. I wouldn't normally bring it until after Christmas.

What about figs? Do they benefit from a good cold snap?

Cheers.

[Bigmallly]

I think Figs grow well outside so don't need any protection. As for Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots etc, mine are kept in the Polytunnel 24/7.

[veggiechicken]

I keep my peaches undercover and act like a bee with a paintbrush when the blossoms open.
The monster fig lives outdoors and fruits.

[spamvindaloo]

I think it depends on the variety of fig. Brown turkey is meant to be cold hardy but I think a lot of the other varieties aren't.

[Alison]

My fig lives outside in a pot all year. It is very hardy. My peach is under cover at the moment but will spend the summer on the patio as I find it benefits from winter shelter to avoid peach leaf curl but it's summer holiday avoids needy infestations (and there isn't room under cover in the summer as the space is needed for other stuff)

[sparrow100]

My figs are outside and in pots. They are fine, so far. When I put one in the greenhouse over winter it got grey mould on the ends of some of the branches. (my fault obvs) My OHs Italian father has 2 monster figs in his near-Rimini garden, where it is regularly -10 and colder.

[marchogaeth]

My figs are in the tunnel because we face north so it's to give them heat in the summer rather than protect them in the winter. I was more wondering if they would be better for time outside overwinter than worrying about them getting too cold.