I was concerned about the minimum temperature that my potted figs will take before they die. After reading this I'm optimistic that they will be ok

Taken from a plant catalog advertising figs...

"Hardiness: Figs are hardy to between 0ºF and 5ºF, although we recommend protecting the plant if temperatures drop below 15º-20ºF for extended periods. Bring container plants into an unheated garage or wrap planted trees with protective covering such as our Frost Blanket"


Also Bill the Fig Guy here in New Jersey told me that figs will die if the roots get below 26ºF.

I have about 30 one-gallon fig trees that were started last spring that are currently on my deck.  These are the extras that didn't make the cut into the garage.  We'll see what, if any, come back to life in a few months.

Maybe Martin will weigh in on this but I seem to remember him saying this his container figs get well below 26 degrees routinely in the winter and do fine.  I'm sure mine hit 25 if not a degree or two below that.

I think this artic vortex may have killed my desert king but I hope not and if it survives I will post later. It is potted in 45 gal pot under deck where it did well last year but last year we didn't go beloe 0°

never really thought about the lowest temp that fig tree will survive since our temp here doesn't drop below 0. we rarely go to single digit. even if it goes down to single digit, the garage is always 10-15 degrees higher than outside. 

i left a runt of USDA/UCD Pastiliere outside this winter in 1 gal. few days ago, the temp dropped to 8 degrees overnight. so far it doesn't look dead. we'll see what happens to this one in the spring. 

Greetings, Everyone! I am new to this forum but got interested in figs last year when I came across a local fig that was growing and fruiting well without any protection (other than a wind break) here in suburban Philadelphia, PA.  I'm outside the heat island of the city and was impressed by the toughness of this plant (which has long outlived its original Italian owner).  (And, yes, I just started my first cuttings to keep this clone going!)

Does anyone have a list of really hardy figs by zone?  I searched around this forum, but apart from individual variety descriptions ("Hardy Chicago" looks like a survivor) it isn't clear to me when folks are growing in pots vs wrapping their plants vs simply growing in open ground (the latter is my interest).

Can folks point to a list like that or suggest a few really hardy, reliable varieties for lower Northern tier gardeners like myself?  Many Thanks in advance for your replies!

Just to update this thread ...

My potted Battaglia, Negronne, and Calliope's Red Greek fig unk. were frozen solid most of the winter. They were in an unattached garage with the lowest temperature being 19F however supplemental heat was provided with a 55k btu kerosene tube heater to keep the temp in the mid 20's.

The Battaglia and Negronne are about 4 feet tall single stem "trees" with a few smaller suckers growing and are in in Bill's SIPs. The Calliope's Red Greek fig unk is about 18" tall with multiple branches in a #7 nursery pot.

No sign of winter damage. All branches ok and buds are opening where expected.

"Hardiness: Figs are hardy to between 0ºF and 5ºF......

Yes - establish plants in ground….not in pots.

Rich, I had similar results.  All of my container figs in the unattached garage had no damage.  I used a heater to keep the temperature from dropping below 22 degrees or so.  My two in-ground trees (Kathleen's Black and Sicilian Red) were wrapped with burlap and a tarp.  They have lost most (nearly all?) of their above ground wood but both are showing green buds on suckers/shoots an inch or two above the soil surface.  Our lowest temp was around +3 degrees.

Joe, knock on wood, no bears near the center of Rockville where I live.  Raccoons, squirrels, deer - yes. 

By the way, I may end up with an extra Violette de Bordeaux (Negronne) from a good source.  If you still need one check back with me in a month or so and I'll know for sure.

Same here, all my fig trees in container were stored in my unheated garage. The temperature was at lower 20's for several days. All of them turn out to be just fine, including several 1 year old plants (which were not fully hardened off last fall).
I think as long as the soil is kept to the dry side, the roots would be fine at lower 20's. Too much water in the pot soil may cause problem.

Athens is very nice too - I almost took a job there once.  My daughter is currently weighing attending UMD and McGill U. and my wife is currently getting an MPH degree at UMD - it's a great school.

knowing min temp is important. but knowing when to protect your tree should be priority before you get to the min temp. once night temp hits 30 or so in late fall, all my trees go into the garage. i would think it would be harder for the in ground trees since day time temp can still be above 45. down here we can have night temp at 30 and day temp still going well above 65. when would be the best time to wrap them up for the winter?

My very young plants will come in after several nights in the mid thirties.  The rest will come in after a few nights in the mid 20s.  If there's a lot of wood that hasn't hardened off I'll take them inside sooner to give them more time between 32 - 40 before they freeze.