Hi,
When does everyone start bringing their fig trees indoors, assuming that they are grown in planters? Mine will be moved into an unheated garage. 

If the garage is unheated, does it matter if the figs get any sunlight while they are dormant?
Thanks,

John

John,
I live in Michigan and the last three years I've been storing my figs in my attached unheated garage. All 150 plus pots!

The 1st year: 0 loss
2nd year; 2or 3 little 1gl potted loss.
Last year: 0 loss

They still get watered once every week or two just so the roots dont get dried out. Just a bit to get them wet.

I start by placing the big ones first and then the smaller on top and so on so forth. I use a space approx. 12x6 believe it or not.
No sunlight needed, get them covered with a tarp so the wind doesn't affect them when the garage door is open.

But if the garage is unattached then that's a whole different story. I have lost many many figs when I used to store mine in the backyard shed.

Hope this helps and good luck

Rafed,
When do you bring them inside?

John

I say sometime mid to late October.
Some use Thanksgiving Day as the target date.

Where are you?

I'm in Massachusetts, zone 6a. 

John

I think it would be best to get an answer from members in your area. There are plenty here so it's just a matter of time and you should get all the help you need soon.

Good luck

I store my trees in an unheated storage shed, and I usually delay the storage as long as possible to ensure that the trees are in hard-dormancy mode..  They go into storage when the nighttime temps. consistently fall into the mid-high 40s.  This usually occurs somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it depends.  Last year, the weather was very mild, and the trees were only stored from Jan-Feb. and were out by early March.

Each area will have its own schedule, and micro-climates..  I've even left my trees out through early snows.  It's the night temps. that do the real damage when damp/wet root-balls freeze hard.

I live in zone-7b...but in reality, the climate zone is more between 8-9...it rarely goes below the teens here in the Bronx, NYC.  However...all it will take is a few super cold nights, and good-bye fig trees.  Especially, containerized fig trees!  Better safe than sorry.

Good luck.

Frank

Certainly not before leaf fall. They can take a light frost too, except the really young ones. If your nights are in the 50s, I would bring those babies in now. I'm refering to any newly rooted cuttings. Those I usually put in the house to grow on through the winter. There has been a couple other threads discussing growing in windows or under lights.  

I am in Zone 5a. I bring my Desert King and other breba only type inside the garage when the leaves show signs of fall and let them drop the leaves inside the garage and then taken to a basement cellar. Other new plants and older ones still in small pots also go into cellar after dormancy. The older plants in 7-gaooln or 5-gallon pots are left out to soak in the cold around freezing temps and drop the leaves before bring them inside an attached unheated garage. I put a tarp around the figs like a wall, top open.
I do use a small space heater to keep the garage temperature at freezing temperature +/- 5F. I have been planning (actually just thinking) to insulate the uninsulated garage because it needs a lot of heat to keep it at freezing when most years the outside temperature is on the average at -4F in January and February. Still worth it for the ripe figs later.

In my area there is usually a few cold days in October where the night temps dip to or below freezing after which it again warms up such that nights are about 40F. I will bring my potted plants inside for those few cold frost nights, and put them out again in the day, and again leave them out until the cold nights return consitently. The plants that are in pots that have been allowed to root into the ground I will cover for those few nights and then bring them in for the winter when cold nights return

Hope I'm not hijacking your thread here John.  But I have three rooted cuttings, maybe 7 inches tall and pinky-finger width.  Only 1 full leaf each with new ones coming. 
Should I let them go dormant or keep them growing in a sunny window?  Will they lack the energy to survive dormancy?

I bring my figs in after the first frost,after that the leaves just start dropping, store in unheated garage ,and cover with tarp to keep wind out and water every other week.

So, we got figs early this year for the first time.  Container because they supposedly can go down to 10F... but I'm skeptical now.  

Unfortunately, we don't have anywhere indoors that would be continually cool.  Best I have is an outdoor metal shed.  I don't recall how warm it can get as the sun beats on it most of the day.

And if I move them in, would they still need to be wrapped?

I'm not adverse to building a small something, these are only 3ft tall and not really big.