Last year I had a Golden Atreano, Celeste, Negronne and Italian Red in ground without protection over the winter. The Celeste, Negronne and Italian Red are planted on south facing side of house and barely had any damage. The Atreano was in corner of yard but exposed and suffered significant die back. It was a fifteen year old tree that had spent its life in a pot. The first year in ground (2012), I got over one-hundred very large figs. This year, I got five. I decided to leave where it is but protected with insulation, burlap, tarp , twelve inches of hay around base and a bucket on top. I also have two year old (first year in ground) Panachee and VDB protected the same way. I am anxious to see if the Panachee will survive. With storm coming tonight, I think this will be the first real test. I also have a Black Mission and Hardy Chicago unprotected in front of house but within six feet of foundation. I expect HC to fair well but unsure of Black Mission. First winter for both.

Steve....

I feel your pain.  My trees live just over on the other side of the Throggs Neck Bridge, planted in Da-Bronx.  I have grown a 25-gallon, containerized "Atreano"....and stored it in my unheated shed, since 2007, but - (because I'm lazy, and hate the thought of getting a hernia) - for the last two years I have left it outside, unprotected, and I'm not thrilled by the results.  I think my trees did a lot better when protected by the shed.

Growing figs, unprotected, in our neck of the woods will always be a "crap-shoot".  All it will take is just one bad Winter-Spring, and..... I shop around for some new trees.  Let's just say growing figs in 7b can be "interesting".

Spring '14 will tell the rest of the story for us both.  Good luck.


Frank

Steve,
I have 2 large Brown Turkeys that have been in the ground unprotected for 20 yrs.  They are planted on the south side of a 6' fence and typically suffer little die back.  Everything else is in pots and tucked away in the garage.  I am less concerned with tonights predicted snow fall and more worried about the predicted 2 degree lows for Friday night.  Fingers crossed. Good luck.

Bill

There is one person in town that I have seen here with a 25-30 gallon potted fig, they insulate the bottom similar to you from what I saw and then insulate the top, leaving it outside all winter, it comes back every year.  They don't water this tree it seems because it goes dormant every year around August then regrows in time for October.

I am also with you Steve.
I guess they way Frank described it just nailed it to the point:"Growing figs in 7b can be interesting".
Which includes me...
But I think the "interesting" point can be something positive.
If everyone could grow figs in our area it wouldn't be a kind of challenge. We have the privilege that figs might even survive without any insulation.And with some good insulation we probably won't have any dieback. We just have to get our butts up to do it.
I mean come on, a fig is a mediterranean plant and we can grow it in ground with only a little effort.

I often struggle with living in a pretty much cold climate...but than I read about our members in Canada making a fig tree survive and fruit in ground in 5b or 6a.
I tip my head for these guys. Compared to them we are privileged!

Hi Steve,
I think your problem is your tree is too big ... Try pruning it .
From 100 to 5. If you prune, you could be from 100 to 50, still 45 more !
Another solution is to make an airlayer next year. You would carry the airlayer and leave the big one outside with some pruning and some insulation.
For the insulation, you could tie all the branches near the main trunk and putting a trashcan bag over the tree. the big plastic bag over the tree really makes a big difference !
But the choice is yours !

I am now a firm believer in growing figs suited to your particular climate rather than growing a desired fig. I had hundreds of Celestes and Negronnes last year but had only three Madeiras and one Yogo. The best tasting fig for me last year was Hardy Chicago. Very tasty and produced twenty in first year. I applaud everyone who get their exotics to grow. I have multiples of my in grounds and lots more to plant in ground as two year olds. The growth of the in grounds out paced the potted varieties of the same by at least two to one. The Panachee alone grew six feet compared to its potted brethren which grew about two feet. For me, It is worth chancing that type of growth to keep in ground. So we will see what 2014 brings.

Thanks JDS. The tree is about seven-eight feet high. It is pruned like a tree and not a bush. Yet in that space, there is about six or seven main branches about a foot or so long with lots of other branches. The cold weather last year killed them back to three to six inches of the main branches. The tree did not recover well. It did however grow five or six shoots about six feet high. I air layered them and now have several back ups, as you suggest. I was happy the tree survived at all, I did not see leaves until June.

The ground about 10" away from our south facing brick wall was not frozen at the surface yesterday, Anything father away was frozen.

I now have a 23K btu kerosene heater for the garage. It did a nice job warming up our concrete block 2 car and keeping me and the figs warm when I was grilling steaks over charcoal Wednesday

Well.....the NYC temps. tonight, and in days to follow, will plunge between Zone 6/7.... NOT GOOD !  It's been a long time since these wintery conditions hit this area.  Snow, yes...high winds, yes... temps in the low digits, yes...but all three... Oy Vey!  This just might be that 'killer' Winter for my figs.  Of course, the alarmist 'news' shows, don't help calm the nerves, either.

Crammed, jammed, and shoehorned, all my larger trees into my storage shed, and even resorted to putting the smaller trees in my kitchen.  If they sprout, they will have to live in my house until Spring '14. 

My kitchen has orchids, succulents from Africa, exotics plants from the tropics, show-quality Clivia, rooted fig cuttings, and sprouting seeds...oh, and about 18, 2 ft. 'Sea Grapes' that I grew from seeds.  I'll need a machete soon.  I feel like the 'Wild Man from Borneo'.

Can't wait for Spring to come.


Frank

That is a hard way to ingratiate yourself to the wife in the new year. I had sixty of so in cups in my dining room last year. I was actually fine when some died and quickly showed the fallen soldier to my better half. Nothing worked, only warm weather and about they went. Not going that route this year. Good luck!

I have 16 Brazilian Banana trees that I plan to sell in the spring, a dozen plus orchids I keep for my lovely wife, and a bunch of cuttings in the basement and a bunch of potted figs in the garage....

I just fired up the fig furnace to keep them happy in the garage tonight. : )

This was a really good dinner for the family while I ran around preparing for the winter Armageddon

http://www.food.com/recipe/ronald-reagans-macaroni-and-cheese-240198

Add some steamed broccoli rab finished in olive oil and garlic.

A little Spanish red wine and you are all set.

: )

I am worried the 5 F will kill my potted figs in non-insulated garage with only a small oscillating electric heater. Let's hope neither this friday's cold, nor next tuesday's cold, murder my little beauties, we work so hard to tend to them all year long. Too big for a fig shuffle. :-(

I've got the heaters on full blast in 4 different locations
to protect the figs, getting cold here on Fig Island.
Lots of tender imports that need extra protection from this cold.