Has anyone used row covers to extend the growing or fruiting season for figs?  I'm about to place an order for Agribon row covers, and I wanted to check with the experts here before spending my dinero.

This row cover is suposed to allow about 85% of the light in and hold the heat.  I plan on putting up plastic pipe hoops and cover them with this.

Row cover

Thanks.

Hi Andrew,
This is my first year growing figs, so I am no expert.
I do use a plastic covering, just some spare vapour barrier I had around, over my plants. they are growing quite nicely, and the plastic does hold the heat in. Inside the plastic is noticably warmer.  A plastic cover works in the same way an unheated greenhouse would work.  I have seen local commercial growers using some sort of plastic row coverings over their berries or whatever. I have also put pieces of black marble and slate and metal inside the plastic enclosure to hold the heat even more.
Grant
Z5b ontario canada 

Grant, I use many water-filled 3 gallon water bottles (or larger if I find one), transparent or otherwise, vegetable containers for heat retention. Water has one of the highest specific heat and will absorb more heat for gradual release after the sunset when the ambient temperature goes down.
The added benefit is that if I ever find a really dry pot for one reason or another I empty one for quick watering and refill (but it does not happen too often).

I second the water containers best way to trap the heat.. remember plastic has basicly no insulation value to hold the heat after sunset. With nothing to absorb the heat of the day it would be futile.

Good idea for the water bottles, I don't have many as I don't use bottled water, but am in process of collecting some for various gardening purposes. and good for watering, as plants like warm water better than cold water from the hose.

Any container that holds water will work trash cans drums, check your local car wash for soap drums they usually will give them to you and it is easy and safe to rinse out.. Cut top off drum with circular saw and fill with water just dip out what you need to water the plants then just drain before winter time...Simple hose syphon works wonders...

undaman:
I don't believe that agribond is up to the task.
I find it works ok for lettuce & things that are fairly hardy to begin with--keeping the frost off--but am not sure about the claims of raising temps 2 deg. or whatever.

I can't recommend this, but I built a hoophouse! Not a low cost affair & like most technologies, the maintenance can be a killer.
Altho' utterly destroyed by an 11" snowfall on the spring equinox, 90% of my 45 trees came thru just fine. I may, in fact, have a small *crop* (I hesitate to use that word) come October. This heat wave is a big help, in fact.
Good Luck,

Stephen,

Thanks for the info, it will help me save some time getting things right.  Do you have plans or a pic or a link for the hoophouse?  I've seen commercial hoophouses at the farm stand nearby my place, is that what you're talking about?  Yes, that would be expensive, but I may consider it if my research shows this could be profitable.

I'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Andrew ,
A terrific resource if you are considering a tunnel is http://www.ledgewoodfarm.com
Ed Person and his brother-in -law Rob have been making tunnel frames for growers all over New England for many years. Prices are competitive ,I believe they still deliver for free anywhere in NE and since they are growers as well, their knowledge and willingness to share that knowledge is as they say priceless. Give them a call, tell them what you are considering, for most growers I know they are a tremendous help.
And by the way , nice website.
Kerry

Do a google search oh hoop house construction for the hobiest. You can build a hoop house for under $100.00 the expensive part is the covering that can run around $200-$500 dollars. pvc and rebar works wonders I am building one this fall to use in the early spring. I just can't figure out how to copy the plans. they are from the north carolina cooperative extension

Thanks Kerry and thanks northeastnewbie.  I'll check out your suggestions.

I should have known Kerry would have a good lead, as he was the master gardener for the Mother Earth News, back when we both were young(er).  That was a great publication, and I wish I still had my old copies.

You may get more bang for the buck by getting the season started early. Ripening, esp. sweetness and flavor generally require good sunlight and heat which are both in shorter supply later in the season. If you get them started on fruiting earlier, then they will hopefully ripen naturally in a "better" part of the season.

For example, mos brebas ripened here in the cool part of summer are not worth eating, but ripen the same brebas in August at the peak of the hot season in the PNW and they are good.

Good point Jon.  A tunnel, or hoophouse, or quansett would be used at both ends of the season to get and early start and continue late.  New England has a short season, but it can be extended with help.

Did experiment with 3 gallon water bottles.
filled three of them with water from my rain barrels,
let them sit for a few days to make sure they were all the same temp,
then painted on bottle black.

it has been a few days now,
todays high was about 28 celcius, approximately 88-90 farenheit.
measured tempurature using candy thermometer, so readings are not 100% accurate.

the water in clear bottle was approximately 90 F. so about same as air tempurature at the days high.
water in the black painted bottles was between 95 and 100 F. .... 5 to 10 degrees above the days high. So the black bottles have it for heat absorption, storage and more for release into the night's cooler air.
I am going to measure the water temp again tommorow morning to see how much heat is given back over the night.

I imagine that a black metal container would heat the water even more, 
moreso if it had fins added, which besides helping heat absorption, would also dissipate the heat as well.

grant
zone 5b, kitchener Ontario  

Interesting study.  Where the black bottles in direct sunlight, or were they just absorbing ambient heat?  I wonder, would metal and fins be a good thing, or would the heat be given off too quickly, thereby not lasting through the night? 

Since first frost is not too far off, I'm starting to think about how to protect my trees and get a little added growing time.

I'd be interested in your further findings, thanks.  I'll have to find some black paint....

all the bottles were in direct light.
water in both painted and clear plastic was down to air temp this morning. about 75 F
I am thinking that is because of the low volume, 3 gal containers, thinking this because water in my 50 gal rain barrels does stay warmer than air overnight.
I was thinking the same about the metal, higher disipation rate,

grant
z5b kitchener Ont.

I decided to try Grant's experiment.  Here's two cat litter pails filled with water, I'll let them heat up and measure the temps in both tomorrow afternoon.

Also the start of my mini hoop house, getting ready for frost.  I used 3/4" PVC conduit over 1/2" EMT pipe for the stakes.  That's a mango plant in the pink pot, that I rescued from my compost pile yesterday.  Figs and mangoes in Vermont......ha!

measured water temps again today, at about 1 pm, (yesterdays measurements were at about 6 pm)
daytime temp about 84 F,
water in clear plastic 3 G bottle was 95 F
water in black painted bottle was 110 F !!
so it would seem that by the time I took yesterdays measurements the water was already starting  to cool.

hi Andrew, I think you will find that the water in the white bucket absorbs almost no heat.  I find that even on a hot day, my white plastic water buckets are cool to the touch, while any thing black is hot.
your hoop house is looking good.

Grant
z5b ontario

Here's the results of my water temp test using one white pail and one black pail.

Hi Andrew,
I was just looking at the pics of your pails.
What is the ground surface they are sitting on?
Is that where they sat for the experiment?

Grant

Grant,

They're sitting on the concrete apron to my tractor shed/garage.  That's where they stood throughout the experiment.  That's also where I brew a fertilizer tea made of comfrey and stinging nettle to feed the trees.  It gets nice and warm in the sun.

The water will not get as warm under the hoop house, as that sits on grass, but the experiment shows that the black pail does in fact absorb more heat into the water.

The agribon seems pretty neat, but it is very expensive. I was wondering on wether to purchase a large roll. My concern would be the trees baking and the stuff seems to solve lots of my problems.

loslunas,

I'm going to use 4 mil plastic this time around.  I had the same concern as you about cost.  If the tunnel has good results this year, I may move up to something larger and more permanent next year.  I don't want to invest a bundle until I know I'll get a dividend.  Keep us informed on your decision. 

Hello, the first purchase for my new high tunnel in April this year, was three fig trees LOL.  I have them planted in 5 gallon pots and they seem pretty happy although they have only grown about a foot so far. One tree has 28 figs and another has about 35. I recounted the figs this morning. I plan on wraping the trees this fall and surrounding them with straw. I am not sure if I should move them to the barn or leave them in the tunnel. I worry that the tunnel will be too warm when there is a lot of winter sun. I can't wait to make some cuttings from these trees and grow lots more figs . I think my chicken hatching addiction is turning into a fig tree addiction.. Poor hubby.
Linda