Hi everyone, I'm new to this community but read this place daily. I hjust wanted to point something out that I've noticed. Everyone seems to think that we all grow figs in warm places, but this isn'isn'tirely true. I live in the mountains Maine, us. For those of you that don't know it's freaking cold. Like 4-5 feet of snow 4-6 months out of the year. Yet I still grow figs. I got into this hobby because of growing up with a massive six foot black mission in my mothers living room. Now I'm an avid tree collector. The point is that just because a fig needs too much heat, can't take the rain or will split or has a wide eye doesn't mean you can't grow it for your collection or that it's useless for you. I have my trees in 1-15 gallon pots age depensing, indoors. We all probably have homes, so if I can fit 10+ trees, we can all fit a couple. Some trees would be quite happy living on a patio, deck or porch in summer months. Anyway, just wanted to point out that I can grow figs in snow country, and the home is an excellent place for plants that just don't work outside. Note that I have a 4' grow light for my trees, but with large windows you should be fine.

Welcome to the forum from a neighbor in Maine, there's a few of us on f4f.   One interesting factoid is that Maine shares the same latitude as southern France, but due to the jetstream and ocean currents, we are much colder.  The sun is just as strong, so with some creativity we can grow the same crops as Mediterranean countries, ie. figs.   Snowing like the dickens and 21F out there right now though!

DevIsgro welcome to the forum 

I totally agree on the sun zone5figger, we have cooling winds, but the sum will still produce. I actually remember my great grandfather used to have fig trees, that he brought with him from Italy, in New Jersey, which was the same climate as Maine at that time, and he used to dig a trench next to the trees, bend them over and into the trench, then cover with cow manure so they woulls be warm for the winter. It just takes creativity and plant pots with wheels!!

@Andreas thanks for the welcome :)

Welcome to the forum Devin. I was born and raised in New Hampshire so I know cold, especially the temps from Mt. Washington. I now live in sunny Florida, today is an 80 degree day, but I agree with you, grow figs wherever, just establish them in an adaptive environment.

Welcome!  We have some members in warm climates but I'd guess most of us are in climates cold enough to need winter protection and most of us grow most of our figs in pots.  That said, you're colder than I am so you win.   Sort of...   :)

Welcome to the forum.  There are quite a few cold-climate growers who are active on this forum.  If you're looking for information that has been posted about this over the years, the search function may be something you'd be interested to learn.  Good luck.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

Thanks Mike, I have seen some of the information, but it seems the truly cold hardy fig tree has yet to emerge. I'm in zone 3/4, mostly 4 but some winters are harder than others. I have seen success with nordland and Chicago in zone 5 with 3+year old trees and minor wind/cold protection. The point of all this was just to show that even if cold or bugs Jill the tree normally, indoor plants work too. I'm glad to see I'm not the only oneowith a tree addiction inside the home!

Welcome to the forum Devin. You have got see what the top of my fridge looks like! We all have the same addiction here brother! Growing figs any which way possible!

welcome to the forum. I'm in Eastern MA so I shelter my figs inside for the winter.

I have a question for you, do your figs ever go into a dormant cycle or do they have leaves all year round?

Mine aren't that old yet, I've just started building up the collection. I started with citrus then expanded to figs...

However. I grew up with a massive black mission in the living room and it goes dormant nearly every year. Around November or December it drops its leaves and just sits for a month or two. It's just now coming back. When it does it usually produces 3 or 4 new branches, if not more. It may be that it's cycle is messed up because it produces figs a few at a time during at least 6 months of the year, and never more than 50 total! I believe that it's normal for figs to go dormant, I read somewhere that that's when you are supposed to take cuttings.

@Chris I'm planning on building a super insulated outdoor grow room/building for wintering over my trees. The idea would be to build layer walls with masonary to create insulating air gaps and do the same thing on the roof with 3 or 4 layers of polycarbonate sheeting and an air gap between each layer. I figure if it never freezes I'll rarely have to heat it, if at all, and it will not get super hot in summer because of filtered light, and I won't need very much artificial light. I'm tired of getting told "no more trees in the house" :P

Lol I know the feeling! Sounds like a great greenhouse idea to me! Maybe a few removable panels for the summer months? They really love direct sun light. just a thought.

Welcome Devon.

I'm A bit further south of you, yet my altitude makes up for that at over 6000' above sea level. I live in the foot hills of the rocky mountains, I stare at Pikes peak from the front of my property. 

I, like so many on here in cold climates, do the pot shuffle twice a year. We don't get nearly as much snow as you do were I live, it is a desert after all, but we get a lot of cold.  Days or sometimes weeks of deep freezes, drying high winds, it less then ideal for growing anything that is not zone 4/5 or hardier. Yet there are a few of us that do it. 

Again, welcome to the forum, it's nice to have more crazy people on board.

Scott

Hi Devon, welcome to the forum. I am also familiar with the "no more trees in the house". My response is I have a plan. Of course, however, I don't but I'll figure something out.

Aaaahhhhhh !! Kindred souls !!!!!!

Plants in the house have benefits too. They help clean the air of pollutants, take the CO2 out of the air and gives us back oxygen, adds moisture to the air, and if I did not have some green life to look at, I would go nuts in the winter.

Another welcome from Maine.  Funny, I started with citrus as well and then quickly added figs to my collection of plants that move in and out with the seasons.  My figs quickly outnumbered my citrus thanks to the kindness of members of this forum.  I'm in the tropical part of Maine...York county!

Welcome to the forum, Devon.  It sounds like you've made a happy environment for your trees.

That's so cool another citrus to trig but in Maine !! I'm in Franklin, near sugarloaf. It'll be a few years until my stuff produces, but it'll be an awesome year for figs at home !!!!