What is the best way to overwinter a potted fig? Also what pot size do they do best in? I have an unheated garage. Would that work?

you want to keep the plant between 33f and 44 f  37 would probly be best. the tree needs to sleep, new growth can be damaged by cold snaps below 32.the tree will only get as big as the pot you have it in. i had a few potted in 10-15 gal pots that worked very well. all of mine are in ground now zone 6 illinois

Dave

My basement stays cool also and dark. I'm afraid that my garage will be too cold. It's not attached to the house. I got a cutting that is being shipped from Sicily called a Natalia red fig. If its a warm weather fig should it be overwinter the same way ?

Why not let it be a house plant till spring?   I have two little trees inside right now that will be planted outside in April.  

Most of my cuttings are all cupped up and in the spare bedroom.   If you don't have a lot of trees, keeping them indoors works just fine.   
 

  Inside is good as per Centurion's advise. The other thing to consider is your hardiness zone, I'm in zone 6b and my potted figs do just fine in my backyard tool shed (uninsulated & unheated). It seems if I can keep them out of the winter winds and keep them away from ice and snow contact, then they come out in early to mid April ready to go.  On the other hand I like having as many green fig trees as possible in my house to get me through the long winter months. Good Luck.

yeah i hear that. i do my rooting in winter and the little guys spend winter as house plants then in spring gointo the ground. i am in 6 b as well and havent lost any figs yet due to cold. but my collection is growing. i may protect the three desert king figs this winter but next i dont know. i am trying to get figs rated for zone 5-7. not trying to grow anything rated for 8 or higher unless its really rare then i might get rid of the bananas to make room in the house. but im not there yet.

What your plant needs in the winter really comes down to two divergent paths:  1. dormancy (more accurately quiescence) or 2. active growth.  I will describe each, and you can decide which works best for you.

1. Dormancy: Temp should be somewhere between 25 and 42.  If temp goes lower than 25, there is a chance of tissue damage.  Brief spells a little bit under will probably be fine.  Extended spells well below may result in death of all the top growth, or even the tree itself.  If temp goes higher than 42 for an extended period, it will start to push new growth, and drain resources.  This can result in less vigor come spring time.  An unheated garage is usually closer to this temperature range than a basement, unless you have a very cold basement with a lot of cold air infiltration.  You will want to make sure the soil in the pot does not dry out completely, which means putting a bit of water on it once every month or two.  Evaporation occurs very slowly at these cold temperatures.

2.  Active growth:  If you want to try to keep a fig tree as a house plant, this is certainly possible.  It will do best if it is in a south facing sunny window and gets at least 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.  If you keep it inside, but don't give it much light, this will weaken the plant because the photosynthesis taking place will not keep pace with energy expenditures by the plant (leaf/stem growth, transpiration, etc).  The plant may survive but will not do as well as if you had let it go dormant.  Regular household ambient lighting is not enough, it needs to be either direct sunlight, or high wattage grow lights.

Having similar questions here now that its getting colder.  I have a few small plants in 2-3 gal pots that were rooted in June, in my shed now.  They are 'protected'/wrapped somewhat in the shed.  Vince, or anyone in a similar zone 6, have you ever stored 1st year plants in an uninsulated shed?  I suspect in the dead of winter several nights below 20 degrees in the shed.

My other options are:

bringing inside soon and letting them break dormancy in a window,

Putting in the attic (no idea of temps up there, and little access, but has to be warmer than the shed).

Turning the pots on their sides and burying them  in now in the garden.

Interested in any POVs.  Thanks

once the temp drop below 40, i just put all my containers into my garage and forget about 'em. well... almost. i still have to water them now and then.

I put my trees in an unheated unattached garage. I built a box to keep them in so the mice can't chew them up, went through that last winter and have no plans on having a repeat this year. Also the box is made of wood and metal this year instead of cardboard. In the box I have a 40watt lightbulb that I turn on when the temps get too low. I even had newly rooted cuttings that were put into one gallon pots that made it through with no problems. Next year I'll have to make it bigger or if things go as plan they will be in a greenhouse.

Neil,
   I have 3 yearling trees in my tool shed, which is uninsulated and unheated. In addition, there are about 5 or 6 sucker trees in the shed that were detached from the mother tree around the end of September. I loosely laid several layers of burlap over the whole bunch, and several layers of weed cloth on top of that, all topped off by an old army blanket.  I don't think I even need that much protection, but I'm not sure if we are going to have as mild a winter as we did last year, so I did the covering as added insurance.  It sounds like yours are also protected, so I think your going to be all right.  I will let you know around April how it all worked out.

PS.  I don't water my trees at all during the winter.  I just shut the door on that tool shed around the beginning of December and don't open it again until the beginning of April.