Now is the season for fresh figs. For someone who discovered fresh figs late in life, I love making up for lost time and devour them whenever I get the chance.
So this year, as I was driving along with my fresh figs in the seat next to me (they are delicate so they travel in the passenger seat instead of the back of the car) I thought, “I want to have a fig tree!”
Since I have never grown a fig tree before, I knew I needed to do some research.
Tips For How To Grow A Fig Tree
– Figs like sun and need to be protected from wind – especially for the first few years while they are getting established.
– Young trees cannot handle frost, so they must be protected from frost at this stage.
– Fig trees love limey soil. If your soil’s pH is below 6.5, add some lime.
– Drainage needs to be excellent – Like myself, they don’t like wet feet!
– Add big rocks to the planting hole as figs do well when their roots grow at a shallow level. If they grow too deeply, the tree will put it’s energy into the foliage and not fruit production.
– Fig trees can also be grown in large containers.
How To Give Your Fig Tree Some TLC
Now I read that fig trees are pretty tough. However, by giving your tree some tender loving care, they will reward you with delicious fruit…what could be better?
– Give them a prune during the winter and summer and remove any dead branches.
– Fig trees love a deep thorough watering when they have fruit.
Below is a recipe from an expert fig grower to keep your tree super healthy by keeping away scale. It should be applied August and September to the base of the tree after pruning.
George’s Recipe for White Wash:
– The ratio is 3 cups of lime to 1 cup of Copper Sulphate.
– Mix the three cups of lime with two litres of water and stir to
make a paste
– Mix the one cup of Copper Sulphate with a litre of water and
stir to make a paste.
– This mixture should resemble quite a thick paste. Finally, mix these together and paint on the tree.
How To Manage Pests
– Fruit flies can cause fruit spoilage. There are many products on the market to help protect your trees.
– Birds love figs. Invest in some netting – otherwise there will not be any figs left for you!
Interesting Fig Facts
– Figs produce two crops. The first is called the breba crop and emerges from branches in late autumn or early winter. The breba crop is carried through winter as tiny, immature figlets, maturing around late January. The second crop is the heavier crop and is what is about now.
– Figs flower on the inside!
– Names of the fig varieties are incredibly cool and interesting: Black Genoa, Preston Prolific, White Adriatic…there is also the Brown Turkey, which I guess is cool as well!
Fig Yumminess
Figs are a fantastic snack on their own. However, if you want to try them a different way, drizzle them with maple syrup and bake at 160 degrees for 30 minutes… soooo good.
Or stuff the fig with brie cheese, wrap some prosciutto around it, stick a toothpick through the fig to hold everything together and sit them in a pan and fry gently in some butter. Just enough to let the heat melt the brie!
Tonight I will be trying something I heard today at the fruit shop. I will be putting a small amount of dark chocolate inside a fig and baking it for 15 minutes… Stay tuned on its yumminess factor!
Looking Forward To Planting My Own Fig Tree!
I will be purchasing my fig tree from Daley’s Fruit Nursery. Winter is a good time to plant a fig tree. Daley’s plants will be available from June onwards.
Do you have a fig tree in your garden? Would love to hear your stories or tips!
07 3726 9515
My suggestion when picking up figs fruits cover your hands and arms in olive oil
Merry Christmas
Robert Melbourne Vic
I have loads of figs…most in pots……they get problems with scale under the leaves and on the branches and i just tend to pick them off…..best not to feed high nitrogen when fruit start appearing or you will just encourage leafy growth……fruit come forst and then leaves…..so something like Yates flower and fruit for a liquid feed or a seaweed/fish liquid feed would be good……they need watering nicely when fruiting….Plenty of sun……..there are so many different variates…..brown turkey and white genoa are my favorites.
Hi. I have a beautiful fig tree which gives me fruit every year, however, there is a black bug/bettle/thingy that starts off slowly and then off of sudden, theres no leave on the tree. I was told spray soapy water on it, but that doesn’t work. The tree is green and healthy now, but I’m scared, that if I don’t do something now, they will be gone tomorrow. I’m pretty organic, and don’t like chemicals at all. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Amanda
Hi Amanda
I had the same thing happen….I would squash the bugs (and their eggs on the undersides of the leaves) every morning, hoping to save the leaves! But if I missed a couple of days, the tree was in trouble.
Covering the tree with a net is one organic option (mine in a pot so easy to do)
If not in a pot, then persist with the organic sprays and keep an eye on the bugs….
Nat
I need help with my brown turkey fig it is a stick and has been for two yrs it is planted on the sth side on a corner street it grows a few leaves but not much i am tempted to pull it out but would like some help
oh no Christine that’s no good!
All I have heard is how tough Fig Trees are – however if it has been a stick for two years then it sounds like it’s definitely not happy in its current conditions. 🙁 So the conditions either need to improve or the plant moved to more favourable spot.
Would any of the tips in this blog post help eg does the soil have excellent drainage or I have also found a blog post on fig tree diseases https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/common-fig-tree-diseases.htm
Good luck!
I live in Queanbeyan and our winter temps get pretty low (I lost a calomondon last winter after 21 days of frost) figs don’t care – I think they might be the toughest plant I’ve ever had
Trim the tips – put them in bundle and leave for a couple of months come the spring heel them in and watch them shoot
we don’t have fruitfly
Birds – perhaps I’m lucky but it could be becuse my tree is the middle one of 4 over 4 suburban blocks – we let them have the ones at the top and I happily have the 50 or 60 kilos off the reachable branches of my small tree
The crop is very variable from year to year
Neil
Hi Neil, Surviving after 21 days of frost – now that’s tough!
and 50 – 60 kilos of figs with some for the birds as well!Bet you would have some great fig recipes….
Thanks for your comments.
We have a fig tree which lived in a very large plastic bag – the kind you collect weeds in – for about 3 years with only the soil that came with it when we moved it. We are renovating an old house and garden and the tree lived quite happily, and fruited, for 3 years until we had a place prepared for replanting. I think soil, water and fertiliser were quite a shock to it at first as it got hardly anything so it wouldn ‘t grow too large to handle. This year, second now in the ground, we have had loads of fruit which are sweet and delicious and are still picking a few.
These trees are amazingly hardy and reward with just a little tlc. Being able to pick enough for breakfast fresh off the tree each day is a joy, and to stand and eat one or two in the early morning sun is just devine.
All I need now is a really good jam recipe and I will be in heaven.
Hi Lilian, the common theme that I’m hearing as I learn more about fig trees is how tough they are!
I look forward to the day that I can pick them for breakfast as well because yes, they are quite delightful.
Thanks for your comments and good luck in your search for a jam recipe.