I didn’t develop up consuming many figs – principally I simply loved snacking on Fig Newtons. I’m fairly positive I by no means tasted a contemporary fig whereas I used to be a baby. I’ve just a few recollections of shopping for contemporary figs at specialty markets as a younger grownup, and whereas I undoubtedly loved these, nothing compares to my first time attempting a fig freshly picked. I used to be in my early twenties and volunteering at a farm in California with an natural fig orchard. Each morning, I’d stroll by way of the orchard amassing my breakfast, which included Asian Pears, Grapes, and Figs. Figs in a short time rose up on my listing of favorite meals.
Years later, after beginning Broadfork Farm, my companion and I acquired a potted fig from some great prospects who had been transferring to america. They couldn’t carry their beloved houseplant with them and so gave it to us to look after. It hadn’t produced fruit for them however was very beautiful of their residence. In addition they didn’t point out any selection title, if they’d ever identified it.
We introduced it residence and cared for it, although definitely didn’t child it. I’ve to confess, for individuals who develop vegetation for a dwelling, we’re not all the time on the ball with potted houseplants. We potted it up into a bigger pot, tried leaving it exterior when it was scorching (which it wasn’t used to and so ended up with solar scalded leaves), then moved it into our solar porch.
Our outdated farmhouse is heated solely with a woodstove, so we’ve many alternative temperature zones in the course of the winter. This high quality ended up being best for us in our fig-growing journey. As soon as the fig skilled cool fall climate (in our unheated sunporch), its leaves began to show beige and drop off. At this level the plant is all branches and is prepared for hibernation, so we carried the pot to our basement which is darkish (we hardly ever go down there), damp-ish (it’s a stone basis, that is good since you don’t need the plant to dry out an excessive amount of whereas in hibernation however overwatering throughout this time is a problem, because the vegetation roots aren’t too energetic), and funky (principally much like a root cellar). You don’t wish to retailer your figs someplace over the winter the place the temperature fluctuates an excessive amount of (like in our sunporch the place it will get nearly as chilly as exterior in the course of the night time however can actually heat up on a sunny day).
The subsequent 12 months, we began getting fig fruits forming and we had been excited! We’ve since realized that figs produce essentially the most fruit, reliably, once they have a very good interval of hibernation.
Since then, we’ve propagated many extra fig vegetation from that unique plant (we suspect the variability is Chicago Hardy) and have been in a position to take pleasure in an increasing number of contemporary figs with every passing 12 months. This 12 months, we’re going to attempt 7 different varieties to see how we like them.
I undoubtedly assume they’re a terrific crop to develop in your house, particularly as its unlikely the economics would work out nicely in our area for it to be grown by native farmers as a business crop. Contemporary figs will not be typically seen in shops as a result of they’re not nice candidates for delivery. They don’t ripen after they’ve been picked. They bruise or crack simply when being dealt with. And so they solely actually preserve for just a few days as soon as picked. Rising a plant stands out as the solely approach to expertise the delight of a freshly-harvested fig. And so they’re actually not that arduous to develop (definitely not tougher than apples or pears).
The essential wants of a productive fig tree embrace a container, soil, a shiny and heat location from June to September, and an area to over-winter a dormant potted plant.
I’m going to reply just a few of essentially the most generally requested questions we get about figs and go into some extra element.
Do you promote fig fruits?
We don’t, sadly as a result of we’ve by no means been in a position to produce greater than we will fortunately eat (which is sort of a bit). I don’t know anybody domestically who’s rising figs commercially. We do propagate some vegetation that we promote annually by way of our farmers’ market stand. The brand new varieties we’re trialing this 12 months had been bought by way of Richter’s in Ontario (although 1 selection didn’t make it after delivery).
Do I would like to purchase a couple of plant for pollination?
No, you don’t. You’ll get fruit from only one plant. The “Widespread Fig”, which is the class of any fig vegetation prone to be bought for fruit in Canada, is self-pollinated. Curiously, self-pollinated vegetation of every kind (together with lettuce, peas, beans), have change into self-pollinated (reasonably than insect-pollinated) by way of domestication by people (or most likely extra precisely described as long-term, intense plant-human relationships the place each species are shaping the others’ behaviour). There are theories that this fig-human relationship was the primary use of horticulture in human historical past. Researchers have found carbonized fig fruits in an early Neolithic village courting almost one thousand years earlier than domestication of grains.
There are varieties of figs that do require insect-pollination – from one insect specifically – the fig wasp. Nonetheless, these aren’t the categories you’ll be rising. Figs don’t truly flower, nicely – not in the way in which you may think. You don’t see the flowers as a result of the fruit itself is definitely an enlarged, fleshy stem with the flowers inside. Some forms of figs produce 2 crops a 12 months, one in early summer time and the twond in September and October. We sometimes get each crops, until we’ve taken cuttings from a plant or pruned it. The primary crop grows on wooden produced the 12 months earlier than, the twond crop produces on new progress.
What dimension pot do I would like?
I’d say minimal 5-gallon for a mature plant (in its 3rd 12 months). Although it’s best to maintain potting them up each few years into a bigger pot or add in some new compost and/or potting soil.
Fortunately, the tree doesn’t must be very giant or outdated to bear fruit, although they do bear an increasing number of fruit as they get bigger and older.
We’re on the level the place it’s getting tougher and tougher to seek out bigger pots, however after we are capable of finding one, that plant we put in it does reward us with extra figs.
What sort of soil ought to I put in my pot?
We combine natural potting combine with some compost, bone meal, alfalfa meal, and basalt rock mud (for micronutrients). Perhaps a little bit of kelp. There’s no set recipe that would be the key to success, nonetheless you do desire a pretty mild soil (not an excessive amount of clay) that may drain nicely. You don’t need an excessive amount of nitrogen or else the plant might produce a number of prime progress with little fruit. We favor small quantities of sluggish launch vitamins and we solely change it each few years after we pot them up once more. Mycchorizal fungi can also be a good suggestion so as to add for vegetation grown in pots.
How ought to I fertilize my fig?
We by no means fertilize ours however I wager they wouldn’t thoughts some diluted seaweed emulsion or stinging nettle tea. Simply keep in mind nothing too wealthy or they’ll produce much less fruit or maybe none in any respect.
How ought to I look after my new fig plant?
Water frequently however watch out to not overwater – waterlogged roots might be extra damaging than drying out a bit.
Discover how your plant is responding to the situation you’ve put it in. Our first plant didn’t like an excessive amount of direct solar, although warmth is necessary for fig ripening. So we moved it to the solar porch for a little bit of safety and it was comfortable. All of our subsequent vegetation that we propagated from that one have additionally most well-liked being sheltered a bit, both in our sunporch or in our greenhouse with shade fabric (or row cowl used as shade fabric) over prime. I do know that every one figs don’t reply the identical, so simply remember. That’s a wonderful thing about potted vegetation – they’re straightforward to maneuver!
We’ve additionally discovered that pruning is beneficial, each for making a extra shrub-like shorter form that matches inside simpler, but in addition as a result of it finally ends up creating extra branches, which in the end results in extra fruit. Pruning isn’t essentially one thing you wish to do yearly although, or else you’ll scale back your 1st crop the next season.
Some folks suggest eradicating all of the budding fruit within the first 12 months or 2 (if there may be any) so the plant can give attention to its root system. We by no means initially did this, although just a few years in the past we had a kitten who liked to bat the younger growing fruit off the branches. We had been pissed off then, however we did find yourself with a bumper crop the next 12 months (and that kitten’s youthful enthusiasm for such actions had handed).
The place ought to I overwinter my fig?
Now we have continued overwintering the vast majority of ours in our basement, bringing the pots in as soon as the leaves have dropped or completely turned beige (so that they’re not photosynthesizing and don’t want mild).
This 12 months, we had just a few very giant pots and the timber branches had been fairly broad, so as a substitute of awkwardly carrying them down the basement stairs, we simply introduced them into our unheated summer time kitchen. It does get colder in there than within the basement (generally under 0) and there are home windows so it’s not all the time darkish. Fortunately, bigger figs are much less delicate to chilly than younger (below 5 years) fig vegetation.
In case your basement is heated, you might have a closet, attic area, or storage that might work nicely.
I’ve heard of individuals rising their figs within the floor and defending them overwinter in varied methods. Can I try this too?
Probably. I’ve no private expertise with this and so don’t have a lot to say. Our farm is in a little frost pocket so we haven’t tried. We all know individuals who have planted figs within the soil, mulched closely, however nonetheless the highest of the plant completely died again. The subsequent 12 months, the plant regrew from its roots, however didn’t find yourself producing any fruit. It definitely appears cheap to attempt in Zone 6.
How can I inform when a fig is able to harvest?
That is actually the arduous half – growing the endurance to let your fruit completely ripen. Even now, we don’t all the time showcase that endurance (as a result of an almost-ripe fig remains to be fairly darn scrumptious!). The fruit ought to really feel very tender and pillow-y and droop barely from the neck. Actually, expertise might be your instructor. When you choose one, and there’s some white sap, you realize that it wasn’t fairly utterly ripe. That sap is a kind of plant latex and may be irritating to some folks’s pores and skin or eyes so concentrate on that.
I all the time love listening to about different folks’s experiences rising figs and even perhaps swapping cuttings of various varieties!
This weblog submit was initially written by farmer Shannon for our favorite rural dwelling journal in Atlantic Canada, Rural Supply. When you haven’t subscribed but, it’s best to – it’s actually a lot cheaper of a subscription than it ought to or might be! And each every so often, you’ll see an article by Shannon in there on some subject or one other.
