Some updates on this project, the main goal being maximum fruit production from in ground plants in zone 6b with minimum work. I currently have 7 of the rock wells built, ever growing as I dig up more rocks from the yard. I expect to build 4-5 more next year, that should be it for in ground figs. Varieties that are not being replaced have been winterized as seen in the photos: plants were tied up, wrapped in tree wrap, and buried in mulch. The idea is that the tree wrap will prevent rot from the mulch where buried and reduce drying out from the wind where exposed. I put empty pots on top of some of these as I could. Winterizing four trees this way took about 45 minutes, including collecting cuttings.
I hope to establish strong trunks this way so even if they die back to the mulch line (or lower) they will resprout and still fruit well. This goal has shaped variety selection to focus on those that were reported to fruit even after ground kill this year in zone 6.
Some varieties I am considering planting out (rooting success depending) or keeping that have shown to be hardy and capable of fruiting after ground killl: Malta Black, Improved Celeste, Sal's GS, RdB, Bari, Adriatic JH, MBvs, Takoma Violet, LdA, Nero 600m, and Florea. There are plenty of others being grown to trial, so this is very subject to change. To lengthen the fruit season I am also trying out several San Pedro types to get high quality breba figs from containerized plants. This includes varieties such as Filliciano Bianco, Desert King, Ghosh, and Grantham's Royal. Hopefully I will only have 3-5 mature potted figs in a couple years, those only for breba.
I would like to thank herman2, timclymer, figgyfrank, and hllyhll for sharing a lot of great information from their experiences with ground kill this year, it has been a great influence on my variety selections.