Some gardeners successfully grow figs in Zone 5.
In the United States, California is ideal for growing figs, though in the Sierra Nevada foothills and high desert areas only the hardiest varieties will thrive. Thought to have originated in western Asia but introduced throughout the Mediterranean region more than 5,000 years ago, figs grow best and produce the highest quality fruit in Mediterranean and other dry, warm climates. Fruits may split if rain falls as it develops and ripens. Most fig varieties suffer disease in tropical climates. Fully dormant fig trees can survive temperatures as cold as 15 degrees Fahrenheit, but actively growing trees can be damaged at just below freezing. Figs need full sun all day to ripen good fruits -- and figs must fully ripen on the tree. Does this Spark an idea?
Growing Fig Trees
Well-drained soil is more important that fertility. Figs aren't fussy about soil as long as they don't get wet feet. Yet maintaining soil moisture through irrigation and mulching is very important, because roots are close to the surface and can quickly dry out. Train fig trees to grow in an open-vase structure where winters are mild. If tree foliage sometimes freezes back, a multi-trunk tree or shrub makes more sense. Most figs require very little pruning, though thinning can stimulate new growth and increase fruit size. Remove damaged, diseased, dead or weak limbs during dormancy. Fertilize little if at all, because too much nitrogen encourages vegetation at the expense of growth.
Growing Figs in Containers
Figs are eye-catching trees with twisting trunks that can grow to 50 feet, but most are much smaller. They will grow as multiple-branched shrubs, too, so they can successfully be grown as either trees or shrubs in containers and then brought indoors when freezing temperatures threaten. Lightweight plastic containers with adequate drain holes are more manageable if plants will be moved, and can be "nested" inside larger decorative pots as long as pots don't sit in excess drainage water. This nesting of pots is also a way to keep roots cooler in full sunlight. Choose dwarf or slow-growing varieties for container cultivation, such as Black Jack, Blanche and Ventura, and fertilize at least occasionally. Replace soil in the tub every few years.
Figs for Zones 7 to 10
The hardiness for most figs falls somewhere in the range of Zones 7 to 9 or 10, and there are many varieties to choose from. California's commercial fig crop comes largely from the very sweet but coarse-textured Kadota fig, excellent for that familiar "Newtons" flavor for preserves and canned and dried figs. Celeste, sometimes also known as Malta, is a very productive tree that produces small, dessert-quality fruits also good for processing. The brown Turkey fig produces mild-flavored, sweet fruit and is an everbearing variety for northern areas.
Cold Hardy Figs
Fig trees are successfully grown outdoors even to Zone 5, which can be credited in part to gardener ingenuity in creating suitable micro-climates and providing other cold protection. The rest of the credit goes to the fig itself; many varieties die back to the ground due to cold yet re-sprout the following spring. Stark Bro's Nursery recommends brown Turkey figs for Zones 5 through 9, with frost protection below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Brambleberry Permaculture Farm has had success growing figs in Zones 5 and 6 by choosing varieties that typically produce fruit on both old and new wood -- Chicago hardy, LSU gold and Vern's brown Turkey -- so they produce every year even after freezing back. The Chicago hardy variety, developed in Chicago, is generally considered the hardiest variety.
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