Figs are a delicious treat that thrive in warm climates, but can also be grown in more temperate regions with a bit of extra care. Here’s how to grow a fig tree in your garden!
Figs thrive in areas with long and hot summers (Zones 8 and warmer), though they can also be grown in colder zones if grown in containers and properly insulated from freezing temperatures or brought indoors.
The common fig tree (Ficus carica) is the most popular species of fig for home gardeners because its flowers do not require pollination to yield figs. Many varieties of the common fig tree exist, including hardy cultivars that can be grown outdoors in slightly cooler climates (Zones 6 and 7). Other species of figs either do not produce edible fruit or have very specific pollination requirements (such as needing to be pollinated by a certain type of wasp), making them too much trouble for home gardeners to grow.
Figs can be eaten fresh from the tree, preserved, or used in cooking.
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
Planting next to house
I know of plenty of figs planted immediately next to house walls. I am in my 60s and have never heard of or noted damage to the fabric of a house. What is the fear of tree roots based on other than old wives tales?
the figs taste like they are fermented
I have been reading the questions by other fig owners and I do not see anybody having my problem. I have a fig tree, several years old, that yields a lot of fruit. However, when it is ripe or even before that, the figs taste fermented (kind of alcohol taste). I also have a problem with ants (they love my fig tree); could they be causing the fermentation? I think is a Brown Turkey because when I bought it the farmer said it was "Brown Fig Tree". I live in Miami, Florida. It rains a lot here in summer and I prune my tree but I am rather shy about it. I hope you can help me. Thanks.
Bad Fig Flavor
The flavor of fig fruit can be affected by a few things. Two candidates are sour rot and endosepsis. Check whether the symptoms listed on the following pages match what you observe:
Planting out my cutting.
August 10, 2020
Powell River, BC, Canada
Sunshine Coast; Zone 8B
SITUATION:
- I have a healthy cutting I took in February of this year.
- Once rooted in May'ish I transplanted them to 1 litre pots.
- I removed all but one shoot when I potted it up to the 1 litre.
- It has now grown a good set of roots that are out to the perimeter of the pot; just about to start circling in the pot.
- The hardwood stem/cutting height is 8"in.
- The new stem/shoot emerged 4.5"in up the stem of the hardwood stem/cutting.
- The new stem/shoot is 11"in high; with 7 leaves plus the growing tip.
- 7"in of the new stem/shoot appears to be transitioning to hardwood
QUESTIONS:
- Can I plant/bury the stem to where the new shoot has emerged from the parent/hardwood?
- Will the shoot, root if I let the underside tough soil?
And will the buried portion of the parent'hardwood grow roots?
REASON: I would like it to grow in tree form, with a single trunk for the first 6'ish feet.
I really appreciate your help! Thank you.
Fig trees
Good morning I got a problem every other day or so I have two or three fig leaves that are on the ground looks like something come straight off what do you think this would be thank you
Large fig crop twice year. Six years old over 10 feet tall
Figs fully formed and large beautiful. Outside skin green and dark purple looking. Solid open up to white very dry seedy looking inside. Taken to several nurseries, don't know why
I have a 4 inch fig tree it haves some leaves
I'm wondering if play sand from home depot will be fine for me to plant it there I have it indoors
using sandbox sand
Sources tell us that “builder’s sand” or coarse sand is best. However, remember that sand is heavy. You could also use perlite, which is…lite.
Fig tree
I have a fig tree that has recently lost all its leaves for the fall. It’s mid October and new leaves are coming out and several gigs. Why is this?
Ripened figs?
I have a new brown turkey variety fig tree. It's a great little tree & in its first year has already produced a bunch of figs. What color are the figs supposed to be before they are ripe? I always thought they would be purplish or brown, but one by one they seem to be getting soft & falling off the tree just as they are starting to turn from green some other color. They are also soft at this point too. Any advice, comments, etc., would be appreciated.
Browning Mission Fig leaves
I have a 3 year old Mission Fig Tree here near Tampa Florida. The soil is well drained and moist most of the time right now in August. So not too much or too little water.
The tree has many green figs and throws out a couple of ripe ones every day or so. Looks great. However it also has many brown and curling leaves that snap off very easily. Any suggestions on this condition please?
Oyster shells around for trees
I live in eastern NC and have always seen oyster shells placed around the base of fig trees. What is the purpose of this practice? - calcium enrichment?
oyster shells
Yes, you are correct. Oyster (or clam) shells are similar to eggshells they can provide an easy source of calcium to plants for normal cell processes, root growth, and fruiting.
We haven’t used oysters but crushed eggshells are common. However, as a soil amendment (versus a slug deterrent), they really need to be ground very finely for plant uptake. If you mix them with a weak acid, such as vinegar (3% acetic acid), the chemical reaction converts the calcium into an available form. You can apply as foliar spray during the reproductive stage of a plant’s growth cycle when setting fruit and vegetables are most vulnerable to blossom-end rot.
How tall?
How tall can a fig tree grow in a year in texas heat?
Fig tree
We have a 3 metre fig tree in full sun in south-west France. We are new to the area and hopefully will spend longer here as each year passes. The fig tree is mostly healthy and indeed has some fruit, but on one side there are some dead branches and others which appears to have few leaves on them. Some of the trunk has areas with little bark. All the advice tells you to remove dead and diseased wood in the dormant season, but we are not here at that time. Would it be reasonable to perform this action before we leave in early September? Is it advisable to paint the exposed wood after cutting? Thank you. Brian Corbett
Fig tree
My fig trees have grown way to tall and the fruit is all at the top. Would it be beneficial to cut halfway down this winter/ early spring.
Fig Tree Pruning
The best time to prune your fig trees is definitely in the winter (dormant season). When you prune a fig tree, you can indeed trim away half the tree (once it’s had its first winter outside). This allows the tree to focus on developing strong roots. After the second winter, cut everything except 5 or 6 strong new branches for the fruit to grow on. Removing any branches that are not growing out from your selected fruiting branches, as well as any dead or diseased wood. You find this video interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkN0fPx9Ens
Fruit either ripe or small shriveled dead.
Hello, I recently bought a home in Arizona that has a huge beautiful fig tree planted in the courtyard. There is gravel onto of the soil and pavers on one side. The tree fruits but they are all either green or dead looking brown hardened not good to taste. I love the tree and want to fix the problem. I notice when I water the tree it doesn’t seem to soak into the ground but rolls off and doesn’t water properly. Should I get rid of the gravel and plant grass? Remove the pavers? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance. Janine
Fig Tree
Your fig tree would likely benefit from the removal of the gravel and pavers, as it sounds like they’re preventing the tree from getting an adequate amount of water. Replace them with a light-colored bark mulch, which will hold moisture in the soil for longer.
fig tree cuttings
When is it the best time to take cuttings. what sort of medium is best to plant in. I use hormone dust. Any suggestion you make would be appreciated.... Thank you
Fig Tree Beetles
I have these big green wind beetles, devouring my figs, help!
Fig Tree Beetles
Big green winged beetles
Should I eat
We recently moved to a new (different) house that has what we and everyone else who’s seen it has presumed to be a fig tree in the back. The fruit started to grow and they’re just starting to get ripe. They look and smell just like figs. I know this comes off as paranoid, but is there any other type of tree and fruit that is close to a fig that would be dangerous to eat? Another words, how can I be sure they’re figs and are ok to eat not having planted the tree myself?
Identifying Figs
Figs are fairly unique trees, so they should be easy to identify if you know what to look for! First look at the leaf: it should be quite large and have three to five lobes. Then look at the fruit: the color of the ripe fruit depends on the variety, but they may range from lime green to brown to purple. The stems of the fig fruit are fairly thick (not thin, like an apple or pear’s stem). Search in Google for images of fig leaves and see how yours compare. Finally, if you want to be absolutely sure, contact your local state Cooperative Extension Service, which should be able to ID the tree with a photo.
Ants in figs.
I live in D/FW area and have a brown turkey fig tree. Ants invade the fruit at the blossom end. Lately it has stopped, but I think that's because of a little lizard/gecko type thing. If the ants return, any suggestions on how to remedy the situation?
Fig Tree Protection Against Ants
Hi Heather,
If the ants return, try sprinkling diatomaceous earth or broken eggshells around the base of the tree. It’s a simple solution and should cut up the ants as they pass through to climb the tree. We hope this helps!
Question about growing from cutting
Hello! Thanks for the great site and article. My family brought a fig tree over from Italy back in the 1920s. That tree has been moved from house to house until ending up at my mother's house in NJ. She sold her house about a year and a half ago, and we were unable to take the tree with us unfortunately. However, I tried to propagate the tree with multiple fig cuttings. Most failed, but one has survived and is still going. However, the main trunk/stem of the cutting seems to have died a while ago and is not really growing. The surviving part of the main stem comes out about two inches from the dirt and is healthy, and there is one branch growing off that section. This sole branch is growing well, and is probably about two and a half feet long, currently sprouting new growth. It is in a 12 inch diameter pot. My question - is there hope for this tree to grow more than just this one branch? Also, should I do anything with it (bigger pot, plant outside, etc.) I'm afraid to move it outside permanently in case it doesn't work.
Thanks in advance!
a twig of fig
We can always have hope, Michael, but sometimes a backup plan is needed, too. It’s impossible to know if the tree will grow another branch or if this branch will survive…but it does not sound promising—and I share that from experience. You might consider purchasing a new plant, one of some size, and continue the family legacy that way, nearly a century later.
Fig tree
We’ve had a fig tree for three years. Iit’s doing fine except the leaves are yellowish. How do we remedy this?
You could take the one branch
You could take the one branch as a cutting and start fresh, or you could if possible return to the original tree location ask new owners for clippings explaining the heritage of the tree and your family, Im sure they would allow it and also have a bit of knowledge themselves of their fig tree
Pages