Hello all-

I am new to this forum and to figs as well.  On a whim I bought a small Brown Turkey Fig tree in a pot this past spring at a small family owned nursery.  I repotted it, put it in a much larger pot with some really good compost and soil and watered it well over the summer.  It did well over the summer, producing a small but healthy crop of figs and now it is time to put the fig away for the winter.  What do I do?  I don't dare leave it outside in our Vermont winter but I'm afraid if I bring it inside to my basement its going to think it is spring and come out of dormancy.  What do others, who are in a cold northern climate, do with their potted fig trees over the winter?

Thanks and any advice would be awesome!

From what I have read a lot put them in the garage, which is warmer than outside but cold enough to let tree go dormant. Have you done a search on the topic? 
Also welcome to the forum!!

Welcome, Elsie.
On the top right of the page, click on 'search'
and do a topic search on winter storage, or dormancy.

Welcome as well Elsie,

Other than your basement, which sounds like it is more warm than cold, do you have any other out buildings, sheds, and or barns or garages where you can take your potted fig and let it over winter? Remember that from time to time, you will have to provide a tad bit of water to this overwintering fig tree. Also, send us a pix or two of your tree! Welcome to the Forum!

Thanks for welcoming me to the forum!

Maro2bear- I have a small unheated barn that I use to store tools.  It is dry but drafty as the siding is rough pine boards that were installed right off the mill table, so they have shrunk and now have a nice gap between them.  It tends to stay a few degrees warmer than outside, but not much.  Would my tree survive in there?  My other thought was to put it in my basement, on the colder end, which might stay around 55-60F.  Wrap the tree in some black plastic and keep it out of the sunlight.  Thoughts?   We are zone 6 around here, most nights in the dead of winter it hovers around 10F - but will get down to 0 or 10 below for short stretches.

Welcome to the forum!


BTs are pretty hardy but you'd want to keep it under 50 and over about 30 degrees.  Use the Start Here thread up top to see if you might want some better varieties for your area.

Welcome to the forum.  A search for the subject will yield many different alternative strategies for storing a fig tree in the colder climates.  Your barn will be little more than a wind-breaker, and the temps will virtually be the same as the outside weather.  It might be possible to throw a tarp over the tree and stick a set of small Christmas lights around the container to add some warmth around the roots, and to the air that surrounds the tree.  You will be making a micro-climate for your tree(s).  If you can keep the root ball and surrounding air in the low 40s. your tree will probably be fine.

You will want to keep your tree in dormancy as long as possible.  You can't push any growth before the outside temps warm up, or the new growth will be killed.  Keep the soil moist, NOT soggy-wet....just moist.

Good luck.



Frank

Welcome to the Fig Forum.

Best,
Tam