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HypnoFrog

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
Hello, My name is Morgan, thought I would say hi. I have wanted to grow figs for numerous years, but have always held off for some reason. This year I decided to buy some fig trees (One Brown Turkey, and one Ice Crystal.) 

I bought the Ice Crystal first, and then researched them a bit and found out they most likely will never produce figs, especially where I am. So I went and bought a Brown Turkey.

Most winters here are quite mild; around 0C is uncommon, but it can get to around -10 every 3-5 years.

So I had a question or two.

- I'm in zone 9A/9B

- My backyard is facing north-west-west.

- I have a cement patio against my house that gets quite warm in the summer (Sometimes above 42C with around 7? hours of sunlight a day.)

- I have a large yard where I can plant them well away from shade in direct sunlight (Around 8-10 hours of sunlight a day)

Where would be the best place to plant them, or leave them in pots? (I want to avoid the front yard because its quite crowded with a plum tree, and various shrubs.) I have tried searching to see what figs like; either lots of sun moderately warm, or really hot with a little less sun.

Any suggestions? Sorry about the large blob of text.
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Morgan
Victoria, BC
Zone 9b/9a

My Figs
Ice Crystal
Brown Turkey
Desert King
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Larry welcome to the forum. It's always great to see someone as young as you are being interested in gardening and growing figs. Your best bet would be to get advice from a fig grower in your zone / area. Here in GA I have to find shade for my trees because the hot GA sun could literally bake the leaves some days which I don't think apply where you live. Best of luck with your new fig trees and hope you get lots of fruit(at least from one of them)!
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ChrisK
Atl GA
Zone 7b-8a
sal

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Welcome to the forum..
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Zone 6a Orange County NY
Wish list: Figo Preto,I-258,St Rita,
brettjm

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Morgan,

Welcome!  You have like...the polar extremes of the common/uncommon figs.  I'd put one in ground in your back yard, personally.  Given, I too am in GA, so what do I know about your weather?  Still, I don't think you'll have temps there that can wilt a fig tree to death, so I'd be more worried about the cold than the heat.  Many varieties can start crapping out too much below 0C.  I might hold off on sticking that brown turkey in ground though.  You may be able to score some better varieties that would perform well in the NW (or SW...I guess its SW Canada...) and likely blow your brown turkey out of the water, if you'd like.  Desert King is supposed to be good for that region, as its crop forms on old wood (breba crop) rather than on new wood (main crop), putting your short growing season to good use.  Osborne Prolific and Peter's Honey also reportedly do well there.  There are many other good short season varieties as well.

Overall, do a little digging and find out how hardy your plants are.  If they're cold hardy, you can probably plant them in ground.  If not, maybe keep them in pots, but off that 42C porch in the heat of summer.  And don't be afraid to keep collecting :)
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In GA, Zone 7b/8a
 
Wish list:  more space to put in figs.
HypnoFrog

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
I'm sad that I cant produce main crops here; from what I read they're the best figs!

oh well. I'll go looking for a desert king after I finish my exams, and hopefully it will produce something by next year. 

As for the two fig trees I have now I think I will put them in large pots and see what they do and go from there!


Thanks for the help!
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Morgan
Victoria, BC
Zone 9b/9a

My Figs
Ice Crystal
Brown Turkey
Desert King
Quackmaster

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Welcome
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Ryan Zone 9a SeLa, wish list:   
jdsfrance

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Hi hypnofrog,
Welcome to the forum.
If you are in Zone9; plant the Brownturkey in the dirt... Discard the Ice crystal if you're looking for fruit production - if for fun, keep her.
You want a sunny spot with at least 8 hours of full sun .
Fertilize every two weeks, and water once or twice a week and you'll see how rewarding some fig trees can be.
Good luck !
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Climate from -25°C to + 35°C
Only cold hardy figtrees can make it here
brettjm

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
You can totally grow some main crops.  None of the late ripening ones (e.g. col de dame, black madeira, panache), but there should be some that ripen early enough for you to have main crops.  Especially if you keep them in pots, and move them to a shed/garage when they go dormant...they'll usually restart a few weeks or so early and give you a head start on the season!  My 2 big potted plants leafed out and started growing 5-6 weeks before any of the local in ground trees started leafing out.  As a result, I'll probably get ripe main crop figs late this month or early next month!
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In GA, Zone 7b/8a
 
Wish list:  more space to put in figs.
adoresfigs45

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Welcome to the forum from the sizzling south Florida.    Another 90 degree day   95 days in a row.    Joyce
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