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Figs in Indiana

New here and have a interest in growing figs in Indiana, any advice on species. Zone 5

Hi Nick - welcome to the forum!  It would be helpful if you listed your zone.  I'm sure members here will have a lot of suggestions for varieties.  I would think Hardy Chicago and Sal'sEL are standbys in your type of climate.

Hi Nick,

What part of Indiana?

I am in south central just below Bloomington

Thanks for adding your zone.  Will you be growing in-ground or in containers?  You might be able to get away with a really cold hardy variety like Florea or Sal'sEL in-ground if you protected in the winter but otherwise you will need to focus on containers. Maybe Martin will chime in though he will try to steer you to the "dark side".

Welcome to the forum from Southern California, Nick! 

Suzi

Thanks for the advice, containers may have to be the way to go.  Looks like they would out grow 5 gal buckets quickly?

If you start cuttings now you will probably want to move up to 5 gallons by the end of the season.  They would likely be fine staying in the 5 gallon bucket for year 2 as well but after that you will likely want to root prune and pot up to maybe 15 gallons or so.

Do you have any recommendations on which might do the best while grown this way?  Were is a good place to get cuttings?  Sorry for all the questions

I sent a friend in Seymour a medium size Hardy Chicago.  He never had figs before and now I can't answer his questions fast enough on my iPhone.  Now, he loves them!

Hi, Nick. I'm 20 min. north east of Bloomington. Marsailles Black vs should be hardy here. I don't have any in ground yet and not sure how they would have done this winter. There is a Bread and Roses farm near you. Do you know it?

Welcome!  We have several zone 5 growers here.  Some keep their plants in 5 gal buckets (which are equivalent to 7 gal nursery pots) for life.  All figs do fine in containers.  Small containers limit the number of figs you can get but member DrivewayFarmer gets 80 or so figs per plant.  A ten gallon bucket would give you a lot more than double the figs, though.  You need to search for root prune to learn how.  Check out his other posts for modifications he's made to his pots.  Dieseler, DrivewayFarmer, Northeastnewbie, OttawanZ5 and Rafed are all very active and experienced members from zone 5.  Sorry if I left anyone out.  You can look at topics they've started and their posts via the search function, upper right.  Also, in the 'Start Here' thread, pinned to the top, there's a link to a thread Best figs for your location and climate.  Unfortunately, no one's ever had the time to make a database of the info but you can skim through and see what's been posted.  Even the info from "fig Paradise" is useful.  Unless you have a greenhouse or grow room to extend the season you want to stick to early varieties if you're reading a zone 10 list and everything but late varieties from a zone 6 or 7 list.

You might want to figure out how many fig varieties you can fit and make that an absolute limit which you will break in less than 2 years.

You've definitely come to the right place for cuttings, just a little late.  Go to this page and read the rules and the list.  Jon will honor your order but he will fill orders already received first.  You can still get some spectacular varieties even if the top most coveted are all sold out.  Definitely ask for the JH Adriatic and let me know if you don't get any Hardy Chicago.

Thanks Suzi !!!   Glad to be here, I love Figs and always wanted to grow them just never really gave it much thought for Indiana climates.

Actually, Nick, you should be in zone 6.

After this winter it feels more like Zone 2

Welcome!
They will be changing the zone map again after this winter, at least in the Eastern US.

Hi Nick,

Haha. Zone 2 I feel your pain. Worst winter on record for the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. I have just started growing figs as well but will keep you posted on the varieties working well here in northern Indiana!

Due east of Ft Wayne on Route 30, probably the coldest winter in 20 years, so within the zonal parameters, but not the coldest in memory.

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