Hi there, i am new to growing figs. I have recenly learned about overwintering figs by allowing them to go dormant through the winter. The figs trees are kept in pots and brought into a sheltered, cool dark place (such as an attached garage). Does anyone have experience with this? What variety would do well in these conditions. So far i think the hardy chicago, or dessert king would be a good choice to start with..any thoughts? I am learning so much on thi forum. The photos for rooting cuttings are especially helpful! Melissa

Hi Melissa
where in southern ontario are you?
Only thing with varieties is some do seem to require more heat and longer summer than we have in southern ontario, but many varieties will give figs if potted and suitably stored for winter.
With good protection up against a south facing wall I have a fig tree planted in ground that has survived 2 winters now. and maybe it will give some figs this year too.

Welcome to the figs for fun world, Melissa.
I am in Zone 5a and store my plants in a basement cellar that stats 1round 10~12C in the winter months. Also, I now store plants older than 2 years in a heated garage keeping it just above freezing.
It has worked for me so far Chicago Hardy, Desert King and other varieties. For me at Zone 5a planting outside and provide insulating cover is not feasible. By storing in basement cellar or heated garage I am not limited to any specific variety if I keep proper temperatures and enough moisture in the soil during the winter months.
Things may be a bit easier in locations in Zone 6b though.

I am not too far south of you and had great success stashing mine in the attached garage. I wrapped them in blankets for good measure, but find that is not necessary. You may want to add a little water once or twice through the winter.

hey mel
i keep mine in the garage as well. i bring them out around march or so and place them in a closed south facing porch where they get lots of sun and a small head start coming out of dormancy which could extend the season a little (hopefully will start having more fruit)
depending where you are and if you are coming my way any time in the future i can probably help you out with few nice varieties
eli

Melissa...welcome to the Forum, and good luck with your new fig hobby.   :)   :)

Here in Mtl I keep them in pots in the garage or bury them in autumn,
when Ill move to Laval,
I will start a low fig tree espalier style, in a protected area of the yard.
hopefully it will work

my trees are hardy chicago,
and 2 unknowns, but with good yields

Welcome Melissa ! Happy growing and collecting !

Welcome!  Search for the fig, Niagra Black, and you'll find more Canadians and a fig you might want.

Welcome to the forum Melissa.

I store my figs in a totally dark cold storage room in my basement. the room stays anywhere from 3 to 10 C. They started breaking dormancy in the middle of April. I could have left them in for a bit longer but I took them out to get a head start under fluorescent lights.

Hi Melissa,

I'd be happy to provide cuttings once the tree goes dormant in Dec - or better still in March/early April when cuttings seem to be more responsive. I am not sure how well they would take now that they are leafed out. Desert King is a vigorous grower and not the most hardy though my in ground tree got through a low of -15 celcius with little damage. I'm not very experienced with pot culture (ha ha) but suspect the slower growing varieties like Lattarula are better suited because there would be less root pruning required. Dk is a delicious, productive and reliable producer in our cool coastal area though. Be careful with this forum - its addictive!

I can send you some Colisanti Dark cuttings around november/december as well, so far it is hardy with winter protection here, even having brebas surviving for now.

Welcome, Melissa! Here in the Sault I grow two Hardy Chicago fig trees. They hibernate in the cellar, and just recently I've started the fig shuffle (days in the yard, nights in the front mud room). These figs are toe-curlingly, mind-bogglingly, delicious! Mine were ordered from Richter's Herb's and began figging-out the second year I had them. My third fig is waif I rescued from Canadian Tire. Thanks to the research efforts of others on this forum, I've learned it's a Colasanti. It has yet to fruit, but it was a sad, Charlie Brown fig tree when I found it on the pity-rack. It's lush and a radiant emerald now, so I'm still hopeful … where there's green there's hope. Even if it never figs, it's such a beautiful tree to read beside, and watch the wind toss it's flannel-like leaves. Did you see the YIG's flyer this week? It has FIG TREES advertised, they're in a 10.25" pot for $14.99. They look a decent size in the photo AND are lavishly barnacled in figs! The leaves look identical to the Hardy Chicago. The ad copy states hardiness to zone 4 which also matches Hardy Chicago. Sorry for rattling on. Figs are a favourite topic!

Southern Ontario has another source for figs http://www.grimonut.com/catalog.php?catID=71

Also, believing Zone 4 (as mentioned in a post above) for Hardy Chicago is a risky thought. It could mean many caveats such as providing extreme elaborate insulation etc.

Toques:
I was at YIG's in the Sault today and they had some pretty nice looking fig trees there. One tree had a main crop baby fig on it. I almost picked one up but all the tag said was "Hardy fig" zone 6.
The leaves looked like Hardy Chicago to me too. 
Too bad, I already have one of them!

Welcome Melissa,

This fall I should have some extras also after I fulfill my gifted plants. Mine did great overwinter in a root cellar here near London.

Tyler

I emailed Presidents Choice and asked them what variety their "Hardy Fig" was and this is what they wrote me:

Thank you for taking the time to write to us.

I have reviewed your inquiry, and am able to confirm that the Hardy Fig Trees in the Insider's Report are Chicago Hardy Figs.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Presidents Choice Customer Service Representative

Too late for me.
Just out of curiosity, I bought one of those fig plants @ $14.99+tax at Loblaws (PC) yesterday.
I did not need any Hardy Chicago but it was the curiosity of finding what it actually was that made me invest the fortune. Anyway I made up for it when I bought 4 bags of Miracle Gro Potting Mix, 60.5 litrs, @ $9.99 on sale down from $12.99 at Canadian Tire Store.

If you want to get more figs in Canada these are 2 great places

http://www.adrianosfigtrees.com/NewFiles/varieties.html

http://brugmansia-quebec.com/Catalog%202013.html

Lots of great varieties

I had a good batch from Dany at http://brugmansia-quebec.com/Catalog%202013.html last year and have more on the way this year. These people will also ship trees : http://figsforlife.ca/ + another consideration in BC  http://tropic.ca/ who has has Desert King... Good luck!

those figs sold at president choice locations sure do not look like hardy chicago but rather celeste type/color
was checking them out but resisted (they do say they are hardy for zone 6)
good luck

Hi,

You certainly can grow fig tree in Ontario, Canada.
You just have to winterize your fig tree during the winter.

My fig tree was moved to the garden last July and last
winter was my fig tree first winter in the ground.
I winterized it during the colder months, it slept for a whole 6 months.

Hi, I'm new to growing figs as my baby loves them. Does anyone have some advice on how best to grow the perfect fig, my favourite way of eating fig is fig omelette! Much love fellow fig lovers xoxoxo