We've had weird weather here in northern VA.  One cold week so far, but this week has been warmer (50s) and rainy.  I don't want to wrap up my tree when everything is so wet, especially since it's still relatively warm out.

Any words of wisdom?

Sarina, I hope you don't mind me commenting.  I'm really not in the North.  But I am in North Carolina so, maybe that counts for something.  When I wrap my trees, I have a larger harvest.  I use to wrap my tree until I got too many.  Today, I hand carry some prize trees inside my garage, my 2 greenhouses, my shed and a few go inside my basement.

Like you said, the weather has been up and down in our area.  One minute its raining and warm then it gets cold then it gets warm again.  I called 3 nurseries in Charlotte years ago and asked what they did.  They said, all they do is cover the trees with a frost blanket.  Under the blanket, the trees are 10 degrees warmer than outside temps.  This works if you have 20 degree temps for a short period in my mind.  But for some folks that won't work!  In NC, we are lucky to have lots of sunshine in winter.  Even after it snows, the sun comes out and within hours the snow and ice is all gone!  So, the past few years, I wrapped some of my trees with a frost blanket in mid November.  Why November?  Because over the past 2 years, our November had 2 very cold days of 22 degree temps.  So, if I were you, I'd try frost blankets.  I double wrap my trees with the blanket then stuff the center with dry leaves.

Great advice, thank you!  We only got two snows last year, and they weren't particularly heavy or long-lasting. 

Yesterday one weather guy predict 3 snow falls for the Charlotte area but a pretty much mild winter.  I'm happy with that as long as we do have a repeat of last winter.  Five degree temps will kill a fig tree!

Traditionally, the old guys ( I am talking two generations ago, from the old country) would dig a ditch, bend the tree into it and back fill, then mulch with leaves. Some would put a carpet or blanket over it, too. Then they would salute the end of  the season with grappa, or vino rosa or whatever was on hand. This would be part of the Thanksgiving ritual, so your question is timely indeed.

I have trees with green leaves yet. I want them to go dormant naturally, so I won't store them until they get naked. Also, all mine are in pots, so no ditch digging for me (and no grappa).

I took advantage of the dry weather we had last weekend and wrapped up a couple using carpet and underpad with leaves stuffed in the centre. Being in Canada this has been a very pleasant November so far indeed but winter can show up with not much notice. This is my first year attempting inground trees so hoping for the best!
Tyler

Right now all my figs are moved into season extender greenhouse. It is sheltered under my rear deck and protected from any high winds, frost or worst yet snow. Still getting the occasional late ripener, not as sweet as peak season. When the temperature get into the constant twenties, my plan is to move them all into a lean to type shelter. This is insulated with rolled fiberglass and wrapped. It is also against my house's foundation, hopefully getting some heat. If all goes well when the weather starts to warm up, it's is back into the season extender greenhouse, hopefully getting a little head start. Of course on occasions I will open up the lean to to water and check on the plants. Traps for mice and a Bluetooth thermometer will monitor the temps. That is the plan, we see how well they servive come spring.

We have an uninsulated sun room that has no heating ducts and 12 big windows.  I'm debating how best to use it, since it only stays about 10-15 degrees warmer than the outdoors.  I'm too paranoid to leave a heater on overnight out there, so I might just put my non-fig over-wintered plants out there: kale, roses in pots, etc.  My only fig tree is in the ground, but I'll probably use it next year with all of my new baby plants for my millions of cuttings.

Hi SarinaP,
I wrap them up when the temps go under 0°C/32°F or even a bit lower and the trees stay like that until beginning or mid March.
Normally I'm wrapping them up around the 20th of October but as for your place ... This year, the weather has been warmer here. I walked with short sleeves today morning !
So I'll wait until first frosts and then I'll "trashcan" them - see my post on the 80 liters trashcan technique.

For me my trees need to take direct weather as much as reasonable.
Wrapping up too soon may get the trees too warm and they could (fry or) break dormancy just before the first frosts.
Those sheltered areas attract rodents too. If I wait and do it after the first frosts the rodents have settled in their nests for the winter and "they no
longer are a problem" ... normally.

This year, my trashcans are still in my garden house.
I'm beginning to wonder if frosts will ever occur before next Spring...

If the long term forecasts are correct, I won't be wrapping my NJ trees for a while

Usually, in first or second week of December, or when they have been through several nights of low 20 degrees temps.

Navid.

Really interesting charts Keith, hope they are accurate.

Hi Tyler
NICE JOB of covering your inground

I have been super busy and haven't done anything with my in-ground or container trees.  I think I will start in earnest around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Permafrost warming in parts of Alaska 'is accelerating'

One of the world's leading experts on permafrost has told BBC News that the recent rate of warming of this frozen layer of earth is "unbelievable".

Prof Vladimir Romanovsky said that he expected permafrost in parts of Alaska would start to thaw by 2070.

Researchers worry that methane frozen within the permafrost will be released, exacerbating climate change

The professor said a rise in permafrost temperatures in the past four years convinced him warming was real.


http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34540414

Carpet and tall 5gal bucket

Dennis have you ever cover an LSU Smith fig and it made it through the winter. As in they are not very cold hardy if at all.

Carl

I like a loose fitting removable top. Gives a little ventilation and if you get an unexpected heat wave you can pop the top and vent the heat

I'm still waiting for the leaves to drop on my young figs. They don't seem to want to go to sleep. Like little children that don't know when it is bed time.

Carl, I use to wrap my in ground Smith for a few years, then I stopped, then the winters got colder so last Fall, I dug it up and potted it in a 27g self watering pot. It was one of my biggest produccers this year! When I don't bring it inside, I only get about 5 figs. Winterized inside, I get 50. Today, I've got 5 Smiths and 2 TXBA-1.

Thanks for the tips Chuck. What I tried to do was create a dry cavity so that moisture would not be a problem. First I removed all mulch from around the tree...

 

Then I laid some garbage bags over the soil and extended it to the edges of the bricks. I Also loosely wrapped the lower sections with tin foil in the events rodent find their way in...

 

Then I laid another row of bricks on top to hoping it might add a thermal effect...

 

Then I wrapped the tree with carpet (4 or 5 layers thick)

 

And stuffed the cavity with dry leaves...

 

Then I wrapped it again with a couple inches of foam underpad that extended higher than the carpet...

 

Then I stuffed the top 1 foot that extended above the carpet height with more cut pieces of underpad. Then I wrapped it with the garbage bags.

 

My thinking was it should not really be damp inside at all with the moisture barrier on the bottom and with 7 or 8" of carpet/underpad that would absorb any moisture present and also not let it get too warm in the cavity. I covered the top with a garbage bag upside down so if it really does need to breathe still I could just cut the 2 corners of the bag and run something through the holes to let it vent.
Tyler

I will be adding a top and bottom vent then... Thanks for the input! :)
Tyler