Advice on Fig trees.

Hi all,
I've wanted a fig tree for a while. We went on holiday last year where they grew in abundance and the fruit was amazing from them. (The hotel owner would collect them at breakfast and give them to guests) Obviously I'm aware of the climate difference so that is why I'm asking if anyone has had success growing them (in pots) in the UK and have you got fruit. I'm in the North West. The back area to our house is paved with slate like slabs and has a high wall on one side. Its South facing so gets pretty hot. The only place I could overwinter them would be in the house. I'm presuming this wouldn't be ideal or could they be fleeced or am I just dreaming and need to move to Greece

 

Figs are quite hardy but do need warmth to fruit well so in a good size pot on a south facing wall should be fine. In fact they need their roots restricting to fruit well. The only thing I'm not sure of is how much cold the roots would stand in a hard frost.
I used to have one in a big pot buried in the border at the front of our house in Cheshire and got some good crops most years. It never had any protection at all. I took it out as I noticed its roots had come over the top of the pot and were quite large. I've put a cutting I took off it in a pot in a polytunnel that has 5 figs on this year and is just getting going. Fig and strawberry jam is one of my favourites.

 

Thank you @WoolyBack this sounds promising. The area is quite sheltered and I suppose I could fleece the pot if needed too. Do you know what type of Fig you have? Is there a specific variety you could recommend. The cutting sound happy. You have done a fab job getting that many figs from it so far

 

Mine is brown turkey which I think is one of the most dependable round here. It was the only variety stocked locally when I bought it probably about 15 to 20 years ago.

 

Thank you @WoolyBack you have been a big help. I'll have a look at Grasslands nursery. They are based in Cheshire too. We bought a lot of Laurel plants from them recently that are doing really well so far. So I'll have a look see if they have any. Enjoy your figs......

 

No John I only grow brown turkey.
Must admit I've often thought of trying a different variety as I tend to think it's probably not the best tasting fig.
But I also think other varieties probably need a longer growing season than we get here.
My tree is pruned to keep it at around 10feet high and fruits very well every year.
They are probably hardier than is sometimes suggested.

 

I've tried planting 'the original' in a small orchard away from the house in a largish pot but it doesn't get any watering so , over the last few weeks for example it suffered.

Does your tree on the allotment have its roots constrained in any way or is it jut planted in the soil?

 

Hi @WoolyBack I know you were asking John,but mine is also on my allotment and it has a free rootrun.

 

Thank's for the reply, when I can, I'll remove mine from it's pot and see how it does. It did start growing some figs early on but these dropped off likely through lack of water. Where it is it would not matter if it grew large.

 

As you can see by my avatar they seem easy to grow. Ours take over a corner by the house partially blocking the view and need a bit of pruning now and again. They fruit well and stay healthy a rose also lives amongst the branches. Ours has the occasional feed being so close to the house. I took these photos a few mins ago. I eat these when the fruit is just about to split and is soft not sure exactly when but a week or more away. They taste wonderful. Purple deep red inside.

 

Mine usually ripen in late july through August, but they have formed up earlier this year due to the extra sunshine,.........up till now.

You do get the larger overwintering ones from last year fall off, its the really small, almost bud like, overwintering ones that go on to form fruit and ripen.