I would like to introduce myself. I am D Rivers from Portland Maine. I was told I am the first Mainer to be a user of this site. I was given a fig tree and I have tried to learn as much as I can about figs. I am not sure what type of fig I have and will post some pictures of it on a later post. I enjoy growing fruit trees and have started many from seeds. I raise apricots, cherries, asian pears, pecans, black walnuts and quince. I would like to try growing figs outside and have read many of the posts from the northern states where it take a little more work to do so. I would like to trade for other types of figs. The fig I have is a black fig. It has been indoors all year. I am winterizing it in my garage. I pruned it and have about thirty cuttings for starting more trees. I woild like some cold hardy figs. If anyone has any they would like to donate or trade for let me know.

swizzle, welcome to the forum.  What is the name of the fig you would like to trade?  Maine is a cold place, so whatever fig you have must be able to produce figs fast, and go dormant for most of it's life.  I think you need cold hardy figs, right?

Maine!  My son went hunting up there on private ground, and he bagged a moose.  Tufts university had moose meat for a long time!  No figs!  Moose!

Im not sure what type of fig it is but it stays in the house. I have it planted in a five gallon planter. It was given to me in May and it did not fruit this year but I was told it had black figs on it last year. I would like some cold hardy figs. Zone 5b

Welcome Swizzle, Nice introduction. I have made a couple of trips to Maine. One trip was three years ago to Wiscasset. Nice place to visit. LOL

Welcome,

I camp/dive in Nova Scotia every year.
Portland area is usually a stop on the trip home/ Gritty McDuff's is a favorite.

Welcome, swizzle!

Welcome Swizzle !

welcome to the forum. as for a cold hardy fig i would say you might need a hardy chicago, can freeze right to the ground and come right back and produce a crop. mine had 20 figs on it this year (second year) I am sorry i dont have any cuttings as i have cut it back to get more of these trees for a hedge i am planting in spring, but i hear they are fairly easy to get in the east.

Welcome!  Desert King might be a good one for you.  You'll have to grow it in a pot and bring it in out of the cold for the winter, though.

Hi Swizzle - nice to meet you!

Welcome aboard swizzle, nice to have you on the Forum

Hi Swizzle, welcome to the forum.

Beautiful country in Maine in the summer. Haven't ventured there in the winter yet. Brrrrr.

I have some Celeste cuttings available but I'm not sure if it will be cold hardy enough for you. Perhaps someone more experienced could venture an opinion for you.

Hi Swizzle,
Welcome to the forum.
I am up in central NH and trialing different varieties of figs.
Send me a PM or email through the forum , I have some cuttings to get you started.
Best ,
Kerry

Welcome swizzle. Great username btw :) .

Remember this point. You have one big advantage with your location. Because of being at a more northerly latitude, you have longer days of beautiful sunlight. You should be able to use this to your advantage.

You still might have issues with many fig varieties because of the lack of heat units. Figs love it hot. They are happy at temps over 100 degrees as long as they get plenty of water and food. Not saying you have to have one, but a greenhouse would go a long way for you. Especially with longer days to build up heat inside.

You can also gain an edge by growing your figs outdoors in black pots. If you have the option to do so having the pots on a black top driveway, or some other hard (or otherwise heat absorbing) surface that will build up heat, will help also. There's a link in a thread here somewhere that shows the Nurseryman at Belleclare Nursery talking to Martha Stewart a little about this. Anyone have that link? Can't seem to find it right now.

There is also tons more info and experiences on this forum of folks growing figs in northern climates. I'm sure you've come to the right place ;-) .   

Hello swizzle,
Welcome to the forum community. There is lots of information on "cold hardy" fig varieties. If you do a search you will get lots of recommendations from past posted Topics. Also you can find best growing practice from members from similar zone. Good Luck.

Hi  Swizzle,
I would like to add my welcome as well.  Nice to have you join the forum.

Greetings Swizzle

Here's a shout out and welcome to you from Maryland! looking forward to hearing your updates from the great Northeast State of Maine!

Welcome, swizzle!