i've got about a half acre left to plant, all told.  i prefer to keep my trees as bushes, since they are going to get knocked back every year during winter.

i was figuring on protecting maybe the top few inches of wood above the soil with big piles of pine bark, and protecting my breba crop trees with plastic and lights.  (i'm eager to get a dessert king or dauphine next year).  so given this, i was figuring on planting them about 8 feet apart, give or take a foot.  i figure i've got room for another couple hundred trees like this.

the downside is getting some bug that really loves to eat figs.  i'd be putting a lot of food in one place :).

anyone else planting primarily in the ground?

At eight foot centers, expect to prune heavily when the trees reach maturity.  As they get older, the cold will be less likely to knock them back.  I'm planting mine 15' apart and 20' between rows.  I would put them a little closer, but I need to be able to get a tractor between the rows.  In the past, I've had tractor damage on some pomegranate trees I have growing on the property.   At 15', I can let my trees get to be 12' in diameter (currently the diameter of my 12 year old 'Celeste'), and still have walking room between the trees.

In terms of bugs, most bugs (not too many) that will attack the tops of your trees can be easily controlled with Neem oil or another pesticide.  One issue to contend with is leaf rust.  The close proximity of your trees will allow it to spread more easily.

~jame

i also have these interplanted with a variety of other trees and bushes, though i've got far more figs than anything else.  i just have a little riding mower, so it's easy enough to mow around at this point anyway.  after a couple of years, a tree better yield me some good figs or else it's subject to a bad ending.   that's not a threat or anything :).

it sounds like you've got a lot more land to work with than me.

I have many of mine at 6'.

Watch out for fruit bats... I hate bats...

Oh no, it's an attack of fruit bats!!! Eating my figs!! Get some hot water, get some disinfectant, get some iodine!!

Yeah, just joking. I know fruit bats don't live here. I just couldn't resist.

i think a more likely infestation would be root knot nematodes, especially being in the deep south with sandy soils.

RKN is a pretty serious problem here. I've found that many of my figs do well in the ground--Green Ischia, Black Misison, Banana, Red Gold, Celeste, etc., --but for example my Marseille and Kadota got so stunted by RKN I finally just took cuttings and grow them in pots now. Few fruit, but oh well...

my strategy there is to grow in ground, mulch heavily and use drip, so even if i do have rkn, it won't (hopefully) be as much as issue.  in much of the deep south, it's unavoidable.  time will tell, but so far i've got nothing except fantastic growth.

that's why you have to grow peaches, pears, plums, etc, grafted on special rootstocks that are nematode resistant for north central florida.   i just bought some kiwi, and according to the ag agents, it's not worthwhile at all to plant that in ground due to nematodes, so i am going to be making some containers for those plants.

after this winter, i'm curious to see if there's a weather pattern change that will give me more chill hours (we certainly got that this year) which should allow me to fruit kiwis and other things.  this is why i broke down and bought the kiwi.

as an aside, my pawpaws still haven't broken buds, though they're very much alive.  i'm not sure what's going on with these, but i'm really hoping they'll fruit.  everything else is coming out in full force.

I've got peaches, nectarines and plums about the size of a quarter right now. Citrus are loaded with flowers. I was a sucker and bought a couple of the low chill cherries, even though they are supposed to not do well in high humidity. I just couldn't resist trying. Will see what they do, they are in 20" pots right now. I'm always willing to try something new at least once. Tried the Dorman Red raspberries twice, no luck.

Noticed that the unusually long, cold winter (relatively speaking, of course) has caused an unprecedented blooming of wild blackberries. I may have to brave the chiggers next month and go blackberry picking.

my blackberries are blooming, the blueberry bushes are loaded, and i've got a few little miscellaneous fruits on my plums, peaches, nectarines and pear trees. my trees are all in their first or second year, so i am not expecting much.  i think i got dorman reds this year, come to think of it.

tommorrow i will be planting more grapes, figs and kiwi.  i'm looking for the new grape release by the university of florida, the southern jewel muscadine.  i've turned over several stones, and have yet to find one.

If I had ,half acre of Land to plant fig trees I will plant them 12 foot apart.
The more space the better for fig,and the roots will not crowd one to another plant.
And a Sugestion:A fig just as precocious for Breba,is English Brown Turkey,but in cold climates breba dies,so one person in N Jersey never see it,when plant is inground.
But for Florida,I am sure it is a winner,and will have two precocious crops,Breba and main crop.
Here is how this English Brown Turkey Breba figs showld look.
And do not be detered by the Name:
These fig breba and main,can compete with any other fig in flavor and taste,especially getting ripe properly in Florida!
First pix:Main crop
Second pix:Breba.
You have to get this cultivar,if you want precocious,brebas,because many figs go under Brown Turkey,or E Brown Turkey name,but they are totally different and produces mostly main crop,with a couple of breba a year only.
This cultivar makes super tasty figs,especially in Florida with enough sun to get them properly ripe!