Hello All,

I have been a gardening enthusiast for years and just recently decided to try growing figs.  I live in Wenatchee Washington (zone 6) so I assume my only chance of success would be to grow them in pots. 

From what I understand there are lot of really knowledgeable folks on this forum and i was hoping some of you could provide some insight regarding the following:

First, I am hoping to start with cuttings but don't really know where to start. Is there a good source to buy cuttings? If not, would any of you be willing to sell some?

Second, can any of you recommend a few varieties that would tolerate my relatively short but very hot summer? Or maybe a few varieties that are relativity easy to grow from cuttings, do well in pots, and make some tasty figs?

Really appreciate the input all,

Theo

Welcome Theo.

Welcome to the forum. It seems that most people from Washington recommend Desert king but mine is still too young for cuttings.

Theo, welcome.  Hopefully forum members from the pacific northwest will chime in but the breba-only variety Desert King is supposed to be excellent for your area.  My only concern is that maybe you are too far in from the coast and your winters might be too harsh for Desert King planted in the ground.  Of course you could always grow it in a container and overwinter it in the garage. You might consider these varieties which ripen relatively early and should be good for a short season: Florea, Improved Celeste, Malta Black and the Mt. Etna types (Hardy Chicago, Sal's-Gene, Takoma Violet, etc).

Hello Theo,
Welcome to the forum.

Francisco
Portugal

Hey Theo
Welcome to the forum. 
You will find that you are fortunate to join this great forum and especially this time of year.
You are in zone 6 so proven cold hardy varieties that ripen early would be better for in - ground.  For container growing you have more choices and sun room/green house can extend your season.

Welcome.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome

Welcome to the forum, Theo.

Welcome, Theo

Welcome
lot of Good People here i'm sure somebody will be able to get you started like they did with me.

Happy figging

Welcome, Theo.

Welcome!  There are several people from the PNW here.  I'm in Z6 in the midwest and I've had a Hardy Chicago in ground for over 20 years.  Cuttings are available with instructions in my Hardy Chicago cuttings thread which is still on the first page.   All the rest of my figs are in pots and are already indoors for the winter.  I will eventually try Florea and Nordland in the ground.  Ebay is a good source of cuttings and plants and this is the peak time.  Search there for Ficus carica and here for ebay to get a list of the reliable sellers.  Jon, the owner of the forum, has a cutting sale in Feb.  

Welcome to the forum. I would be happy to send you some cuttings, just pm me your address.

Theo,
Welcome to THE forum where it all happens :)

From one newb to another, welcome. Everyone here is super helpful and informative. It wont be long and you will have more info than you know what to do with:-)

Thanks to all of you for your replies. Really impressed with the quick response and warm welcome!

Based on the feedback it sounds like Florea, Improved Celeste, Malta Black, Desert King, Hardy Chicago, Sal's-Gene, and Takoma Violet are some good options. Are any of these varieties easier than others to start from cuttings?

Theo

Welcome, Theo

Norhayati

Welcome Theo, I think those are all good choices.   Figs are pretty easy to root from cuttings, and there's a wealth of info here from folks' experiences.

Hi TeddyB,
Welcome to the forum.
What size of pots will you be using ? 5 gallons, or ? The bigger the pot, healthier will the trees be.
If you can arrange for a greenhouse to extend the season, that would help you, although you can already start with what you have and see if that is enough.
If there are sales on the streets near you (farmers markets ... ), watch out as sometimes you could find figtrees for selling .
Local nurseries or Internet nurseries -like encanto farms nursery - are another good source for rooted plants and those plants would fruit for you sooner.
Rooting cuttings is a nice adventure too :) .
Good luck with your future trees!

Welcome.  If you are close to any good nurseries it may be worth it to call and see if they have any fig trees left. Often this time of year nurseries clear out young trees for half price. That way you will get some figs next year while you work on adding variety to your collection with cuttings. The down side is when you call a nursery you often get an hourly employee that knows how to run a till and a price gun and thats about it.

Welcome to the forum Theo!

 I don't think figs need a dormancy like say an apple.  My understanding is you can vegetate them year round as long as the temperature is high enough.

Maybe someone with experience growing figs this way, or in a greenhouse will chime in.