You are a very practical person and that's why you have selected the fig trees that work. I live in Marylnd zone 7A. I have planted two Malta Blacks and they are doing real well. They have fruit on them and its only the first year. I will let you know if they do well. I have about 20 different fig verities but I think I am going to end up with 7 or 8 of them that work.
This video was really just a common cold hardy fig overview, but we plan on continuing into the far more rare varieties we are currently testing on our property. We recently purchased some additional land for our fig cold hardiness and production test site. We will also be planting wild foraged great tasting pawpaw varieties that we have collected from around the eastern US. Hoping to have all these available for purchase in the future at our website. I love the content you put out and have followed you for sometime. Thanks for the support and keep up the great work!
@@barbiemagnolia3943 We dedicate our time to figuring out which varieties work well in colder planting zones for that exact reason. Its enough of all the different information. We have tons of new and rare varieties that we are testing in northern planting zones in the ground as we speak. We plan on releasing videos on the topic throughout the process. Thanks so much for the support!
That’s great info…. I’m Toronto Ontario, zone 6. I had no idea figs can die back and by that I assume you mean dead branches not just leaves, and then grow back and fruit in one year, that’s awesome. Also, good compost and high quality fertilizer including humic acid can increase cold tolerance by up to 5 degrees C according to John Kempf of AEA, which makes sense as healthier plants are stronger. I’ve only grown them indoors in windows, cheers🎉
Always looking for Hardy figs. Here in Denver zone 6a. Looking to get verdino del nord, and campaniere when prices come down. Improve Celeste, ronde de Bordeaux, Violet de Bordeaux, also good to consider. Thanks for the presentation.Peace.
Those are all awesome figs! We’ll put out a video some time in the future going over the more rare/expensive cold hardy varieties we like. How does rdb and vdb do for you in zone 6?
@@PlantFanatics New to figs here. At the moment only have Chicago hardy, black Madeira in containers, one year old. I Bring them in for the winter. Getting now the Bordeaux's. RDB, violet de Bordeaux. Perhaps Smith as well. Trying to find my range , how many can I take care of. Challenging to garden in the front range.
@@Danielseven-ir2mq that’s a good start! Black Madeira is in a lot of people’s top 5. Any of the Bordeaux’s are a great choice as well. Texas everbearing is a good place to start with in-ground. We’re on the line of zone 6 and it gives us tons of fruit every year.
@@PlantFanatics I tried Black Madera (bought from Figs for Fun) and tried t in pots in zone 5 from 2008 to 2013. It fruited very well but never ripened any fig in the 5 years trial so gave up on it despite the fact that potted fig plants embryos start earlier.
Interesting. I live in 7b and the figs do not die back to the ground during winter. I think LdA would be another good fig for your climate. Or Perretta if you need a fast growing LdA type.
We’re right on the line of of 7a and 6b. The trees can possible die back to the mulch line the first and second year but after that they won’t. Plus depending where you are in the colder zones with a shorter growing season it’s beneficial to cut your tree back in the winter anyway so all the energy goes to the main crop instead of the breba crop
My fig trees are originally from South Italy. I have white and black figs. I don't cover them any more. I have several in huge pots which I bring indoors. One has 43 figs
I want to get an improved Celeste and FigLife said Hollier was his favorite honey fig. That and I've seen LSU Champagne recommended in a lot of the places I was looking for Hollier info so I guess Celeste is an all-around winner. Then I've seen mention that all figs have similar cold-hardiness but the ripening time makes all the difference which makes sense.
That’s definitely correct. All figs can survive the cold but you have to find ones that’ll ripen earlier in the season if you want fruit. Violet de Bordeaux is one of my favorite that’ll actually give you fruit.
Thanks! We’re going to be putting out a video with the more rare/expensive cold hardy varieties that we love and currently have on our property. Look for that in the next week or two
Thanks for sharing! . . . Good overview of several cold-hardy fig varieties. I currently have only Chicago Hardy, but I'll be looking to add a Celeste and Texas Everbearing to my Maryland - Zone 7a garden this year. Have you ever tried graphting some of these varieties together in a pot? I was thinking of using a Celeste as the root stock and graphting several of these cold hardy varieties onto it. Have you or any of your subscribers had any success with doing something like this? Thanks!
We haven’t done it yet, but we are planning on putting a tree in the ground in our greenhouse and grafting a ton of varieties to it. We’ll definitely make a video of it if it ends up happening. We’re also planning on doing the same thing with our seed ground lemon tree.
A lot of people say Chicago Cold Hardy Figs can only grow down to zone 6. But that's just not true because I've had success in zone 5A with Chicago Cold Hardy Figs. I mean Chicago and all of Illinois pretty much is zone 5A which is -20° at most. The reality is you can grow Chicago Cold Hardy Figs in zone 5A because the root system is Hardy down to -20°. And as long as the root system is alive new growth will appear in spring and you'll have fruit by fall. So I really don't get the controversy over it especially considering my success with Chicago Cold Hardy Figs in zone 5A.
Thank you so much for the awesome comment! I couldn't agree with you more. Everyone knows I preach about finding a fig that can suffer winter dieback and grow back from the roots the following spring and give a good crop. I believe the real issue is people getting their advice from those that live in warmer zones where winter dieback isn't an issue, from people who grow their figs in containers or wrap them to keep top growth alive, or from people who give out misinformation because they need to say something. Successful in-ground growing of figs in colder zones is all about the roots and varieties grown. We have 128 varieties of figs collected from cold climate growers from around the world. So theres many that can match the hardiness of Chicago Hardy. But Chicago Hardy is one of the OG's and will always have a place at our farm. Thanks again for the comment and support! Happy growing!
@@PlantFanatics no problem I'm happy to supply some information because there's a lot of misinformation on not just figs but plants in general. Like the cold hardy maypop passionflower vine is another one where they say it's only Hardy down to zone 6. But the roots stay alive at zone 5A as well and the plant grows back every May so that's another plant that has a lot of misinformation too.
@@davehendricks4824 your welcome the Chicago cold hardy fig is one of the only cold hardy figs that can survive as low as zone 5A even as far as the root system goes that I am aware of, but it is a delicious variety of fig, so it works out.
I'm in Zone 7A - central VA. Great success with Chicago Hardy - very productive. Also have Italian Everbearing which does well with a Winter Jacket. Several unknown/un-named (purple, green, and gold colored figs) I got from an old farmer in Maryland for free. I was advised to give them winter jackets. For some unknown reason my oldest, and largest fig tree, a Brown Turkey, has produced NO fruit for two years now. Cant figure out why? Thinking I will cut out one of the main steams/supports next year, and not thin it out as much. It does not die back, but I'm getting frustrated with it. One more year I'm giving it.
The fruit will only be produced on the new growth, so before you get rid of it I would suggest cutting it all the way back to the ground when it goes dormant and also hop on a regular feeding schedule (careful not to over do it) during the growing season. I''d love for you to keep us up to date on this!
@@PlantFanatics - I have cut the Brown Turkey back each Winter. Lots of new growth on it now - probably 70% is new growth from this year. I basically cut it back to three main trunks that are about 5 ft. tall. No winter die back on this type where I live. Need to come up with a feeding schedule though. I have been putting a few Fruit Tree Feeding Spikes around it each Spring though.
@@tominva4121 I always like to add a nice compost around the base of the plant, as well as staying up to date with fresh mulch to help retain a little extra moisture. Even though the figs can take extreme drought, they tend to fruit much better with a continuous lightly moistened soil. The bagged fertilizers will never beat a good helping of compost a few times a year. The microbial life that goes along with compost is out of this world, and really helps your plants absorb the nutrients they need. Sometimes it not a lack of nutrients available in the soil, but a lack in ability of the plants to absorb those nutrients efficiently. So I would consider fresh compost a few times a year during the growing season, as well as some light waterings during any droughts in the summers. I hope this advice helps.
Great video. We are in zone 6B. We have heard mixed reviews of the Chicago Hardy. We are looking to incorporate them in our upcoming food forest video series. This was thorough as informative.
Give it a try! Great fig. Always remember that theres figs for everyone, and sometimes people don't like a certain flavor profile while others love it. Make sure if you haven't already that you sign up to TheAmericanFigCompany.com and get notified when our new fig varieties go up for sale. Texas Everbearing is a great one if you haven't tried that one yet either. It would do great in zone 6b. We also have one called Unknown Ashbury black that got to over 8 feet tall and produced tons of fruit in its first season here. We live right on the edge of zone 6 and zone 7. One of the most vigorous figs we've grown yet, and we have over 100 varieties right now. All in-ground. Whats your favorite fruit tree you grow right now?
@@PlantFanatics Thank you for the amazing response. I’m going to look into all of this… We were growing figs back in New York, but sadly had to leave them behind when we move before they fruited. Fruiting plants and trees are a new thing for us… We have only grown strawberries and raspberries in the past but now are growing mulberries, a couple of different types of citrus, we have peaches and apples and pears on our property. We’ve got blackberries, raspberries, elderberries, and hopefully many more to come…. This should be our first year getting some fruit on most of these. I’m going to check all of this out, thanks again
Hi Chad, I'm new member. I like your videos,especially this one about cold hardy fig varieties. I live in south Sweden ( something like US zon7). I'm interested in getting cuttings especially those winter hardy. I would very much appreciate if you could provide me with cuttings and I'll be glad to advance you for all costs.
Thanks for joining the community! We do sell cuttings, but unfortunately we don’t ship internationally because we’d have to get phytosanitary certificates which is more of a headache than we’d like to deal with. No one sells figs over where you are? We may look into expanding where we sell if that’s the case.
It would be interesting to know what the temperature of the root system of a cold hardy fig is in various cold zones.. If, for example, you had a fig (lets say Chicago Hardy) in ground at 5a, where the air temps are -15F to -20F, what would the temperature be 6" to 12" under ground vs if you were a zone cooler, like 4b, where the air temps are -20 to -25? It would seem if you mulched properly, you should be able ok. Both would have obvious die back, but you would think 5 degrees above ground shouldn't make a huge difference if you prepare for it. For example, say you cut the fig back to the ground at the start of winter, mulch, maybe toss an insulation board on top or even placed an upside down insulated cooler upside down on top of it and then more mulch. You could then use the part you cut off to make cuttings?.
I’m in zone 7A. Northern VA. I’m trying to figure out which to plant in ground. I have Chicago Hardy, Olympian cutting, Ronde Bordeaux cutting, i258 cutting….. I only have 1 Italian 258 cutting coming so I’ll probably keep that in a pot until I can get more cuttings of it and to experiment. Thoughts on which ones I should be ok with planting in ground? Or container and do the fig shuffle every year
Every fig will survive in the ground zone 7A no problem. Make sure to put a good helping of mulch around the base of the plant, but besides that you’ll be golden. Your only issue would be figs that are too late season to ripen the fruit in time.
Hi: I believe that if the tree die to the grown that is the reason is for a warmer zone. If the tree stay alive then is good for your zone. Just surviving do not make the tree cold hardy for your zone. I'm in zone 7b and have two new trees that are for zone 8 (Smith and I-258). I will have to extra protect them to ensure they survive.
Well in colder zones it’s actually advantageous to cut your tree to the ground even if it doesn’t die to the ground. This prevents the tree from using/wasting energy to produce a breba crop and diverts all that energy into the main crop which only forms on new growth. The breba crop only forms on last years growth and in colder zones your tree won’t produce it due to the stems freezing. So if your goal is to have a lot of fruit you should chop your tree down after it goes dormant.
We’ve had extended periods of time with temperature at or near zero and all of our trees survived. A heavy helping of mulch and planting along a southern exposure is the key
just put a good amount of mulch around the tree and it'll be perfect through those winter storms. All of our fig trees survived -20 degrees this past winter. They died back like normal and came right back in the spring.
*hardy *White Marseille (Ficus carica) *Chicago Hardy *I live on the line of zone 6 and 7. Temperatures can go either way. Our trees have survived -20F temperatures. 😀
How far apart do you plant your fig bushes? I have some chicago hardy and brown Turkey which are in containers. Moving them in and out during winter hasn’t worked and I think they’d be happier in the ground. I want to plant them and mulch them deep like you suggest!
I have a couple of questions. I live in zone 6 and I am very interested in the idea of just mulching rather than elaborate wrapping. Firstly, is it alright to put compost down before mulching in the late fall or do I need to wait until spring? Then the next may be a hair-brained scheme. I have two figs that have southern exposures but one is near the corner of the house and a west or northwest wind could bring cold. The other also has a southern exposure but is near the southeast corner, so not completely protected from the northeast. Rather that wrapping the tree, could one create a temporary winter windbreak. I am not sure how I would do this but is it worth a try?
In zone 6 I would focus on varieties rather than any sort of protection to the upward canopy of the trees. If the mulch is on there then no further protection is needed. Does this answer your question?
@@PlantFanatics Yes, thank you. I have 3 Chicago figs. Last year I did not protect them and they died down and I thought they were dead. But, as you might suspect they started growing from the ground. They are about 5 feet tall and have figs on them about an inch in diameter but I do not know if they will mature before frost. Now I realize it is alright for them to die back. They are perhaps 3 years old and maybe they are just too young to produce. If I mulch them this winter will it give them a faster start on forming fruit?
Hi Valentin! Thank you for the comment! I have heard the same thing, but because my research into the subject has returned with conflicting views, I decided not to make the decision myself when both are widely sold as different. This all changes everywhere I go. But I will not list a Texas Everbearing as a Brown Turkey and vice versa with such differing opinions amongst the community. I'm sure you know how the fig community gets when it comes to naming figs. Theres so much that can be debated with figs getting multiple names and then being sold as one thing and they might be something else. This has caused somewhat of chaos within the fig community. Thanks again for the comment!
Also the leaves of the Texas Everbearing do not look like a Brown Turkey. They should actually be the same. Maybe the Texas was mislabled. My Dalmatie turned out to be a Doreé. The leaf shape is nearly identical.
@@melchiorsternfels6454 you get a different answer from everyone when it comes to whether they’re the same or not. We bought ours from a collector with over 500 varieties and she seems to think they are different. It’s really impossible to know for sure, especially when you consider the amount of varieties that have striking similarities to other varieties.
We do! Go to theamericanfigcompany.com and sign up for the email list at the top of the homepage. We’ll be going live in the next week or two and people on our list are the first to know.
If you put a second layer of glazing you'd get better heat retention, but I'm assuming you haven't in order to maximize light intensity in the greenhouse. Growing in cold climates always involves a compromise.
Absolutely! Greenhouses most certainly aren't the most efficient structures in the world. But they are are exciting to have during the winter months. I recently saw a geothermal greenhouse example that I would love to create at our farm. But thats a large project for down the road.
@@PlantFanatics That would be a great idea since your stable ground temperature is in the mid-teens (centigrade), and your figs could stay active all winter.
Yes I do! Sweet Diana, Boston Unknown #12, Chicago Hardy, Brown Turkey, Texas Everbearing, and Unknown Ashbury Black. We will sell cuttings of all of those on our website in the fall. TheAmericanFigCompany.com
MIcro climates are the key to most figs as to whether they completely die back to the ground or not. Planting in a protected area or up against a house or barn really goes along way to get them to not die back. I am in zone 7b. Also, planting a fig in an open area and having that fig go into the winter with as big of a trunk as possible will go along way on this also. Of course you can always wrap or mulch your trees to give them the added protection they need. I have one celeste that is about 6 years old and there was only one winter where it did not die back to the ground. It is planted in an open field. There was another winter where I mulched it with leaves inside a tomato cage and that protected it. It started growing in the spring from the top buds of the branches and a late frost got it and most of it died back to the ground. I know of two trees in the local area that are planted up against a house and barn and they are around 15' tall and do not die back at all.
We heavily mulch all of our plants here. It does an excellent job keeping those roots warm even when its not in a desirable spot. If we have a tree that doesnt die back we just cut it back anyway since getting a breba crop from a tree in the ground is pretty much out of the question in colder zones. Obviously depends on your goal for the tree though. Thanks for the comment! Look forward to the next one!
I live in zone 4 so I doubt any fig variety no matter how hardy would live outside here😒 but I’ll still experiment with some near the foundation of buildings with lots of mulch!
Whenever there is talk of Cold-hardiness, the cold hardiness zone must be mentioned. Mentioning just Northern or colder planting zones can give misleading information or may be misused by coldest zones. I am in Zone 5a and grow figs in pots and winter store them in garage that is heated, keeping temperature between just freezing and 10C (making sure it stays under 14 deg C) so the plants don't get the wrong idea of the spring in the middle of the zone 5 winter.
There’s a lot of conflicting views on that in the fig community. Everyone I’ve talked to tells me something different so we’ll just continue separating them.
Cold hardy to zone 6 I didn't know this was a comedy show I live in zone 3 , though I have seen 46 below zero here on the farm. Cold hardy to zone 6 you say? I may be able to achieve zone six in a greenhouse
Zone 6 is extremely cold hardy in the fig world. Theres only a few figs that can grow one more planting zone down. Horticulturally speaking zone 5 is very cold hardy in the fruit tree world. In zone 3 you are going to have pretty slim pickings even in the most common fruit trees. Thank you so much for watching the video. It means a lot. Happy growing!
@@PlantFanatics I have had two figs this year from a no name cutting Behind me in the sun room are key limes with fruit, and flower from seeds started here(the entire citrus topic is... well let's say it's good I have high ceilings) The twenty two year old avocado beside me will likely need a miracle to begin flowering, but earns its keep with beauty exhibiting such a perfect windswept cascading shape with its 50 square foot crown lays to the floor.
Unfortunately zone 3 is too cold to grow figs in the ground, bu there’s a massive amount of people in colder zones that grow them in pots and they do amazing.
It's subjective. In the fruiting plant world zone 5-7 in too cold for a lot of plants. Many people don't know theres a ton of fig varieties you can grow in zones 5-7 (mostly 6 and 7 though).
Not sure if already commented on by others but your white Marseilles is not true to type. It is a mislabeled variety that has been coming out of agristarts for years. The general consensus is that the true identity of yours with those long fingered leaves is a fig called tena
Hey Byron! Yes, we have now figured this out. I really appreciate the comment though. It’s crazy the mixups that happen with figs for a whole multitude of reasons. The story on this one is pretty crazy. Thanks again!
Celeste is not a good cold hardy fig. It will not produce figs in hardiness zone 6. They will begin to form, but the short season doesn’t allow for ripening.
You are a very practical person and that's why you have selected the fig trees that work. I live in Marylnd zone 7A. I have planted two Malta Blacks and they are doing real well. They have fruit on them and its only the first year. I will let you know if they do well. I have about 20 different fig verities but I think I am going to end up with 7 or 8 of them that work.
Thanks for the comment! Be sure to keep us up to date with fig variety recommendations!
Really appreciate the video. I live in zone 8 and am always looking for cold hardy varieties.
This video was really just a common cold hardy fig overview, but we plan on continuing into the far more rare varieties we are currently testing on our property. We recently purchased some additional land for our fig cold hardiness and production test site. We will also be planting wild foraged great tasting pawpaw varieties that we have collected from around the eastern US. Hoping to have all these available for purchase in the future at our website. I love the content you put out and have followed you for sometime. Thanks for the support and keep up the great work!
I live in Indiana i have a Chicago hardy fig,what zone does Indiana belongs to?
The Olympian and the violet de Bordeaux fig trees grow well in zone 7 and don’t die to the ground
Yup! We’ll have a video here pretty soon going over some harder to find varieties like vdb and others.
Good to know, it's so on confusing from different sites. Zone 7a here🌱
@@barbiemagnolia3943 We dedicate our time to figuring out which varieties work well in colder planting zones for that exact reason. Its enough of all the different information. We have tons of new and rare varieties that we are testing in northern planting zones in the ground as we speak. We plan on releasing videos on the topic throughout the process. Thanks so much for the support!
Thank you. I got a n olympian
Oh no!!!! This is when the fig addiction over takes all else in the garden!! Good luck haha. New subscriber here
Haha! We know what you mean! We started with a single variety and now have over thirty 😬
Thanks to your sharing information.. Very usefull video. And comunicative. I love it. 👍👍
Thanks so much for the awesome comment and support! I look forward to hearing from you again! Happy growing!
I may try a Chicago hardy this year thanks !
You’ll like it, the fruit is a dark purple and is delicious and can handle up to zone 5.
It's good!
Mine dies in Zone 6 each winter. Still trying to find a way to keep it alive.
That’s great info…. I’m Toronto Ontario, zone 6. I had no idea figs can die back and by that I assume you mean dead branches not just leaves, and then grow back and fruit in one year, that’s awesome. Also, good compost and high quality fertilizer including humic acid can increase cold tolerance by up to 5 degrees C according to John Kempf of AEA, which makes sense as healthier plants are stronger. I’ve only grown them indoors in windows, cheers🎉
Thanks for watching
Beautiful figs. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Always looking for Hardy figs. Here in Denver zone 6a. Looking to get verdino del nord, and campaniere when prices come down. Improve Celeste, ronde de Bordeaux, Violet de Bordeaux, also good to consider. Thanks for the presentation.Peace.
Those are all awesome figs! We’ll put out a video some time in the future going over the more rare/expensive cold hardy varieties we like.
How does rdb and vdb do for you in zone 6?
@@PlantFanatics New to figs here. At the moment only have Chicago hardy, black Madeira in containers, one year old. I Bring them in for the winter. Getting now the Bordeaux's. RDB, violet de Bordeaux. Perhaps Smith as well. Trying to find my range , how many can I take care of. Challenging to garden in the front range.
@@PlantFanatics thinking of planting some in the ground , like you said for ornamental value. Season normally very short here in Denver 6a.
@@Danielseven-ir2mq that’s a good start! Black Madeira is in a lot of people’s top 5. Any of the Bordeaux’s are a great choice as well. Texas everbearing is a good place to start with in-ground. We’re on the line of zone 6 and it gives us tons of fruit every year.
@@PlantFanatics I tried Black Madera (bought from Figs for Fun) and tried t in pots in zone 5 from 2008 to 2013. It fruited very well but never ripened any fig in the 5 years trial so gave up on it despite the fact that potted fig plants embryos start earlier.
Positive content! Do you root your cuttings indoors? Grow lights etc? Thank you and godbless
Interesting. I live in 7b and the figs do not die back to the ground during winter. I think LdA would be another good fig for your climate. Or Perretta if you need a fast growing LdA type.
We’re right on the line of of 7a and 6b. The trees can possible die back to the mulch line the first and second year but after that they won’t. Plus depending where you are in the colder zones with a shorter growing season it’s beneficial to cut your tree back in the winter anyway so all the energy goes to the main crop instead of the breba crop
My fig trees are originally from South Italy. I have white and black figs. I don't cover them any more. I have several in huge pots which I bring indoors. One has 43 figs
I want to get an improved Celeste and FigLife said Hollier was his favorite honey fig. That and I've seen LSU Champagne recommended in a lot of the places I was looking for Hollier info so I guess Celeste is an all-around winner. Then I've seen mention that all figs have similar cold-hardiness but the ripening time makes all the difference which makes sense.
That’s definitely correct. All figs can survive the cold but you have to find ones that’ll ripen earlier in the season if you want fruit. Violet de Bordeaux is one of my favorite that’ll actually give you fruit.
@@PlantFanatics Are you going to sell VdB cuttings this winter?
@@BlackJesus8463we will have some available but they go EXTREMELY fast. So if you’re not signed up to our email list you should go and do that.
Good video: The Afghan fig tree might be one worth exploring. Any updates part 2 to this video?
Thanks!
We’re going to be putting out a video with the more rare/expensive cold hardy varieties that we love and currently have on our property. Look for that in the next week or two
Thanks for the suggestions.
Thanks for watching! You're awesome. Happy growing!
@@PlantFanaticsdo mice like figroots?
Thanks for sharing! . . . Good overview of several cold-hardy fig varieties. I currently have only Chicago Hardy, but I'll be looking to add a Celeste and Texas Everbearing to my Maryland - Zone 7a garden this year.
Have you ever tried graphting some of these varieties together in a pot? I was thinking of using a Celeste as the root stock and graphting several of these cold hardy varieties onto it. Have you or any of your subscribers had any success with doing something like this?
Thanks!
We haven’t done it yet, but we are planning on putting a tree in the ground in our greenhouse and grafting a ton of varieties to it. We’ll definitely make a video of it if it ends up happening.
We’re also planning on doing the same thing with our seed ground lemon tree.
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work as long as your grafting technique is solid.
A lot of people say Chicago Cold Hardy Figs can only grow down to zone 6. But that's just not true because I've had success in zone 5A with Chicago Cold Hardy Figs. I mean Chicago and all of Illinois pretty much is zone 5A which is -20° at most. The reality is you can grow Chicago Cold Hardy Figs in zone 5A because the root system is Hardy down to -20°. And as long as the root system is alive new growth will appear in spring and you'll have fruit by fall. So I really don't get the controversy over it especially considering my success with Chicago Cold Hardy Figs in zone 5A.
Thank you so much for the awesome comment! I couldn't agree with you more. Everyone knows I preach about finding a fig that can suffer winter dieback and grow back from the roots the following spring and give a good crop. I believe the real issue is people getting their advice from those that live in warmer zones where winter dieback isn't an issue, from people who grow their figs in containers or wrap them to keep top growth alive, or from people who give out misinformation because they need to say something.
Successful in-ground growing of figs in colder zones is all about the roots and varieties grown. We have 128 varieties of figs collected from cold climate growers from around the world. So theres many that can match the hardiness of Chicago Hardy. But Chicago Hardy is one of the OG's and will always have a place at our farm. Thanks again for the comment and support! Happy growing!
@@PlantFanatics no problem I'm happy to supply some information because there's a lot of misinformation on not just figs but plants in general. Like the cold hardy maypop passionflower vine is another one where they say it's only Hardy down to zone 6. But the roots stay alive at zone 5A as well and the plant grows back every May so that's another plant that has a lot of misinformation too.
Thanks. I’m in 5A and was thinking of getting one and trying it in the ground. Now I’ll try it.
@@davehendricks4824 your welcome the Chicago cold hardy fig is one of the only cold hardy figs that can survive as low as zone 5A even as far as the root system goes that I am aware of, but it is a delicious variety of fig, so it works out.
I'm in Zone 7A - central VA. Great success with Chicago Hardy - very productive. Also have Italian Everbearing which does well with a Winter Jacket. Several unknown/un-named (purple, green, and gold colored figs) I got from an old farmer in Maryland for free. I was advised to give them winter jackets. For some unknown reason my oldest, and largest fig tree, a Brown Turkey, has produced NO fruit for two years now. Cant figure out why? Thinking I will cut out one of the main steams/supports next year, and not thin it out as much. It does not die back, but I'm getting frustrated with it. One more year I'm giving it.
The fruit will only be produced on the new growth, so before you get rid of it I would suggest cutting it all the way back to the ground when it goes dormant and also hop on a regular feeding schedule (careful not to over do it) during the growing season.
I''d love for you to keep us up to date on this!
@@PlantFanatics - I have cut the Brown Turkey back each Winter. Lots of new growth on it now - probably 70% is new growth from this year. I basically cut it back to three main trunks that are about 5 ft. tall. No winter die back on this type where I live. Need to come up with a feeding schedule though. I have been putting a few Fruit Tree Feeding Spikes around it each Spring though.
@@tominva4121 I always like to add a nice compost around the base of the plant, as well as staying up to date with fresh mulch to help retain a little extra moisture. Even though the figs can take extreme drought, they tend to fruit much better with a continuous lightly moistened soil. The bagged fertilizers will never beat a good helping of compost a few times a year. The microbial life that goes along with compost is out of this world, and really helps your plants absorb the nutrients they need. Sometimes it not a lack of nutrients available in the soil, but a lack in ability of the plants to absorb those nutrients efficiently. So I would consider fresh compost a few times a year during the growing season, as well as some light waterings during any droughts in the summers. I hope this advice helps.
Great video. We are in zone 6B. We have heard mixed reviews of the Chicago Hardy. We are looking to incorporate them in our upcoming food forest video series. This was thorough as informative.
Give it a try! Great fig. Always remember that theres figs for everyone, and sometimes people don't like a certain flavor profile while others love it. Make sure if you haven't already that you sign up to TheAmericanFigCompany.com and get notified when our new fig varieties go up for sale. Texas Everbearing is a great one if you haven't tried that one yet either. It would do great in zone 6b. We also have one called Unknown Ashbury black that got to over 8 feet tall and produced tons of fruit in its first season here. We live right on the edge of zone 6 and zone 7. One of the most vigorous figs we've grown yet, and we have over 100 varieties right now. All in-ground. Whats your favorite fruit tree you grow right now?
@@PlantFanatics Thank you for the amazing response. I’m going to look into all of this… We were growing figs back in New York, but sadly had to leave them behind when we move before they fruited. Fruiting plants and trees are a new thing for us… We have only grown strawberries and raspberries in the past but now are growing mulberries, a couple of different types of citrus, we have peaches and apples and pears on our property. We’ve got blackberries, raspberries, elderberries, and hopefully many more to come…. This should be our first year getting some fruit on most of these. I’m going to check all of this out, thanks again
Hi Chad, I'm new member. I like your videos,especially this one about cold hardy fig varieties. I live in south Sweden ( something like US zon7). I'm interested in getting cuttings especially those winter hardy. I would very much appreciate if you could provide me with cuttings and I'll be glad to advance you for all costs.
Thanks for joining the community! We do sell cuttings, but unfortunately we don’t ship internationally because we’d have to get phytosanitary certificates which is more of a headache than we’d like to deal with.
No one sells figs over where you are? We may look into expanding where we sell if that’s the case.
What about the Olympic fig?
It would be interesting to know what the temperature of the root system of a cold hardy fig is in various cold zones.. If, for example, you had a fig (lets say Chicago Hardy) in ground at 5a, where the air temps are -15F to -20F, what would the temperature be 6" to 12" under ground vs if you were a zone cooler, like 4b, where the air temps are -20 to -25? It would seem if you mulched properly, you should be able ok. Both would have obvious die back, but you would think 5 degrees above ground shouldn't make a huge difference if you prepare for it. For example, say you cut the fig back to the ground at the start of winter, mulch, maybe toss an insulation board on top or even placed an upside down insulated cooler upside down on top of it and then more mulch. You could then use the part you cut off to make cuttings?.
Hey just found your channel!! cool!! How do you keep fig gnats out of your cuttings in the main greenhouse?
Check out our video specifically on that subject. I hope this helps you out! Happy growing!
ruclips.net/video/rFQPody7IjI/видео.html
I’m in zone 7A. Northern VA. I’m trying to figure out which to plant in ground. I have Chicago Hardy, Olympian cutting, Ronde Bordeaux cutting, i258 cutting….. I only have 1 Italian 258 cutting coming so I’ll probably keep that in a pot until I can get more cuttings of it and to experiment. Thoughts on which ones I should be ok with planting in ground? Or container and do the fig shuffle every year
Every fig will survive in the ground zone 7A no problem. Make sure to put a good helping of mulch around the base of the plant, but besides that you’ll be golden. Your only issue would be figs that are too late season to ripen the fruit in time.
Hi: I believe that if the tree die to the grown that is the reason is for a warmer zone. If the tree stay alive then is good for your zone. Just surviving do not make the tree cold hardy for your zone. I'm in zone 7b and have two new trees that are for zone 8 (Smith and I-258). I will have to extra protect them to ensure they survive.
Well in colder zones it’s actually advantageous to cut your tree to the ground even if it doesn’t die to the ground. This prevents the tree from using/wasting energy to produce a breba crop and diverts all that energy into the main crop which only forms on new growth. The breba crop only forms on last years growth and in colder zones your tree won’t produce it due to the stems freezing. So if your goal is to have a lot of fruit you should chop your tree down after it goes dormant.
Hello, How do any of figs mentioned here handle the ground frost, like to the depth of 6 inches?
We’ve had extended periods of time with temperature at or near zero and all of our trees survived. A heavy helping of mulch and planting along a southern exposure is the key
Can we get another video about top 3 best tasting cold hardy figs?
We'll add it to the list! Thanks for the comment!
I'm in zone 8b almost 9a but sometimes, you get that polar vortex that is -3 degrees F here and I wanna know my figs won't die during that. Thank you.
just put a good amount of mulch around the tree and it'll be perfect through those winter storms. All of our fig trees survived -20 degrees this past winter. They died back like normal and came right back in the spring.
Texas Everbearing Fig / hearty to zone 6
Chicago Hearty
Celeste Fig
White Marcet (sp?)
Brown Turkey Fig
LSU Purple Fig
(He lives in zone 7.) 😄
*hardy *White Marseille (Ficus carica) *Chicago Hardy *I live on the line of zone 6 and 7. Temperatures can go either way. Our trees have survived -20F temperatures. 😀
How far apart do you plant your fig bushes? I have some chicago hardy and brown Turkey which are in containers. Moving them in and out during winter hasn’t worked and I think they’d be happier in the ground. I want to plant them and mulch them deep like you suggest!
We do about 6ft. If you live in a colder climate and plan on cutting your trees back every year for maximum fruit production this distance will work.
I have a couple of questions. I live in zone 6 and I am very interested in the idea of just mulching rather than elaborate wrapping. Firstly, is it alright to put compost down before mulching in the late fall or do I need to wait until spring? Then the next may be a hair-brained scheme. I have two figs that have southern exposures but one is near the corner of the house and a west or northwest wind could bring cold. The other also has a southern exposure but is near the southeast corner, so not completely protected from the northeast. Rather that wrapping the tree, could one create a temporary winter windbreak. I am not sure how I would do this but is it worth a try?
In zone 6 I would focus on varieties rather than any sort of protection to the upward canopy of the trees. If the mulch is on there then no further protection is needed. Does this answer your question?
@@PlantFanatics Yes, thank you. I have 3 Chicago figs. Last year I did not protect them and they died down and I thought they were dead. But, as you might suspect they started growing from the ground. They are about 5 feet tall and have figs on them about an inch in diameter but I do not know if they will mature before frost. Now I realize it is alright for them to die back. They are perhaps 3 years old and maybe they are just too young to produce. If I mulch them this winter will it give them a faster start on forming fruit?
@@PlantFanatics Also, would you recommend straw or shredded bark for mulch?
As far as i know, brown turkey and texas everbearing should be same type, just different names. But correct me if i am wrong...
Hi Valentin! Thank you for the comment! I have heard the same thing, but because my research into the subject has returned with conflicting views, I decided not to make the decision myself when both are widely sold as different. This all changes everywhere I go. But I will not list a Texas Everbearing as a Brown Turkey and vice versa with such differing opinions amongst the community. I'm sure you know how the fig community gets when it comes to naming figs. Theres so much that can be debated with figs getting multiple names and then being sold as one thing and they might be something else. This has caused somewhat of chaos within the fig community. Thanks again for the comment!
Texas everbearing is aka English Brown Turkey.
Also the leaves of the Texas Everbearing do not look like a Brown Turkey. They should actually be the same. Maybe the Texas was mislabled. My Dalmatie turned out to be a Doreé. The leaf shape is nearly identical.
@@melchiorsternfels6454 you get a different answer from everyone when it comes to whether they’re the same or not. We bought ours from a collector with over 500 varieties and she seems to think they are different. It’s really impossible to know for sure, especially when you consider the amount of varieties that have striking similarities to other varieties.
@@PlantFanatics I was going to try figs in my garden for the first time. But now I hear there is chaos within the fig community. Say it isn't so!
Hey do you sell your clippings?? Really interested, I’m growing figs in 5b and would like to try them.
We do! Go to theamericanfigcompany.com and sign up for the email list at the top of the homepage. We’ll be going live in the next week or two and people on our list are the first to know.
When you say dies back to the ground,,,,do you chop it or does it die back by itself?????
It dies back itself. I now just take the branches while they’re still alive.
If you put a second layer of glazing you'd get better heat retention, but I'm assuming you haven't in order to maximize light intensity in the greenhouse. Growing in cold climates always involves a compromise.
Absolutely! Greenhouses most certainly aren't the most efficient structures in the world. But they are are exciting to have during the winter months. I recently saw a geothermal greenhouse example that I would love to create at our farm. But thats a large project for down the road.
@@PlantFanatics That would be a great idea since your stable ground temperature is in the mid-teens (centigrade), and your figs could stay active all winter.
@@Free_Falastin2024 Thats the dream right there. Im putting it on my list of things to accomplish. haha
in zone 5a. Do you have any figs you would recommend here?
Yes I do! Sweet Diana, Boston Unknown #12, Chicago Hardy, Brown Turkey, Texas Everbearing, and Unknown Ashbury Black. We will sell cuttings of all of those on our website in the fall. TheAmericanFigCompany.com
MIcro climates are the key to most figs as to whether they completely die back to the ground or not. Planting in a protected area or up against a house or barn really goes along way to get them to not die back. I am in zone 7b. Also, planting a fig in an open area and having that fig go into the winter with as big of a trunk as possible will go along way on this also. Of course you can always wrap or mulch your trees to give them the added protection they need. I have one celeste that is about 6 years old and there was only one winter where it did not die back to the ground. It is planted in an open field. There was another winter where I mulched it with leaves inside a tomato cage and that protected it. It started growing in the spring from the top buds of the branches and a late frost got it and most of it died back to the ground. I know of two trees in the local area that are planted up against a house and barn and they are around 15' tall and do not die back at all.
We heavily mulch all of our plants here. It does an excellent job keeping those roots warm even when its not in a desirable spot. If we have a tree that doesnt die back we just cut it back anyway since getting a breba crop from a tree in the ground is pretty much out of the question in colder zones. Obviously depends on your goal for the tree though.
Thanks for the comment! Look forward to the next one!
Also if you plant them near the South side of the house it will help.
Yup! Microclimates are very important. We’ll be making a video about the topic soon.
do you ship cutting abroad?
Wrap with insolated construction blanket.
Are there any figs that do well in zone 4-5 !
In that zone you’ll have to grow them in containers. Figs do extremely well in a potted situation. 😀
I live in zone 4 so I doubt any fig variety no matter how hardy would live outside here😒 but I’ll still experiment with some near the foundation of buildings with lots of mulch!
I love to hear that! Maybe try Sweet Diana, Hardy Chicago, and Boston Unknown #12? Southern exposure, and yes tons of mulch. Keep me posted!
I grow chicago hardy fig in zone 4b.
@@barbrahnakamanya6866 in ground or pot ?
@@barbrahnakamanya6866 I also am interested in knowing your results in zone 4.😊
@@barbrahnakamanya6866 I assume you have it in a pot and bring it in.
Cold hearty "zone 6"..... Looks around from up in zone 3
Zone 3 is a difficult one! I wish this would’ve been more helpful for you.
Whenever there is talk of Cold-hardiness, the cold hardiness zone must be mentioned. Mentioning just Northern or colder planting zones can give misleading information or may be misused by coldest zones. I am in Zone 5a and grow figs in pots and winter store them in garage that is heated, keeping temperature between just freezing and 10C (making sure it stays under 14 deg C) so the plants don't get the wrong idea of the spring in the middle of the zone 5 winter.
There are many figs that can handle the zone 5 winters that we grow. The key is to mulch the roots well.
Texas Ever-bearing also known as Brown Turkey.
There’s a lot of conflicting views on that in the fig community. Everyone I’ve talked to tells me something different so we’ll just continue separating them.
Cold hardy to zone 6
I didn't know this was a comedy show
I live in zone 3 , though I have seen 46 below zero here on the farm.
Cold hardy to zone 6 you say?
I may be able to achieve zone six in a greenhouse
Zone 6 is extremely cold hardy in the fig world. Theres only a few figs that can grow one more planting zone down. Horticulturally speaking zone 5 is very cold hardy in the fruit tree world. In zone 3 you are going to have pretty slim pickings even in the most common fruit trees. Thank you so much for watching the video. It means a lot. Happy growing!
@@PlantFanatics I have had two figs this year from a no name cutting
Behind me in the sun room are key limes with fruit, and flower from seeds started here(the entire citrus topic is... well let's say it's good I have high ceilings)
The twenty two year old avocado beside me will likely need a miracle to begin flowering, but earns its keep with beauty exhibiting such a perfect windswept cascading shape with its 50 square foot crown lays to the floor.
Where do I get sea berry cuttings
Seaberries are difficult to come by. We will be selling cuttings from many varieties starting in October this year.
GOT ANYTHING FOR ZONE 3 ?
Unfortunately zone 3 is too cold to grow figs in the ground, bu there’s a massive amount of people in colder zones that grow them in pots and they do amazing.
You are all sold out! When can we expect some new inventory?
We’ll have rooted plants here in a couple weeks!
No part 2?! O.o
We’ll make it soon! Extremely busy planting up our farm and getting ready for cutting season.
any issues with diseases or pests with cold hardy figs?
Only the ants. I find they seem to attack only a few figs at a time. Obviously destroying these ant colonies close to the fig will end this problem.
I thought cold hardy meant zone 5 and below...
It's subjective. In the fruiting plant world zone 5-7 in too cold for a lot of plants. Many people don't know theres a ton of fig varieties you can grow in zones 5-7 (mostly 6 and 7 though).
Teramo?
No Dalmatie?
Dalmatie is a great variety that we grow! Just not listed here. But it’s super cold hardy and tasty! 😀
Chicago hardy gets no respect, lol. Would have liked more info about it.
I need a fig tree that grows in zone 3. Just kidding.
Haha, I love it! You can grow any in a pot and they’ll do just fine. Good luck!
@@PlantFanatics If you bring them indoors
Not sure if already commented on by others but your white Marseilles is not true to type. It is a mislabeled variety that has been coming out of agristarts for years. The general consensus is that the true identity of yours with those long fingered leaves is a fig called tena
Hey Byron! Yes, we have now figured this out. I really appreciate the comment though. It’s crazy the mixups that happen with figs for a whole multitude of reasons. The story on this one is pretty crazy. Thanks again!
@@PlantFanatics Another example of chaos within the fig community. Tragic.
LSU Purple should not be a surprise. The LSU line were derived from the Celeste fig.
Celeste is not a good cold hardy fig. It will not produce figs in hardiness zone 6. They will begin to form, but the short season doesn’t allow for ripening.
@@PlantFanatics good to know. Thanks. What variety do you recommend for zone 6B to be planted in ground next to a brick wall facing south…?