Hi everyone.

I just started growing fig plants this year in what seems to be quite a marginal climate for them (North west England).
The climate here has mild winters but the summers don't get too warm - 15c to 25c throughout most of summer. It's also quite cloudy throughout much of the year and the North West is also the rainiest part of the country.

So I'm thinking about putting fig plants in a greenhouse. But will the extra heat do anything though? It won't change the amount of sun the plant itself receives, but will the extra heat help them ripen better (I'm thinking increased heat would lead to more growing days and that's maybe how they'd ripen better). 

Sun or heat? Yes

not sure which is more important. i think heat is.. but at the same time, the sun provides energy for photosynthesis. i mean.. we have this crazy weather here which stays up to 80 degrees into nov. sometimes. but i know once the night temp drops down, the trees will stop doing anything with figs.

Well I think the duration of daylight might partially make up for the cloudy days if the plants were kept warm (currently the sun rises at 5:30 and sets at 21:00) at 53 degrees north. The longest day of the year is 4:40 till 21:40.

Heat ripening in Tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse usually add to poor taste fruit as it is a response to stress of the heat everything moves faster, the figs that get the most heat in our greenhouses tend to be less tasty than the ones that get a lower temperature over  longer period (25 degrees vs 35 degrees.)

Marches,

Welcome to the Forum.

Heat is more important than Sun.  It sounds like your Climate is similar to ours in Seattle.  Compare your growing season temps with ours and if they are close, focus on the San Pedro type Figs and those Common Types that produce quite a few Brebas as only the Brebas will ripen outside of a greenhouse.

To see what works well in Seattle's Climate/Microclimate, visit my website:  http://sites.google.com/site/kiwifruitsalad2

Please send me a PM if your Climate is similar to Seattle so we can discuss various cultivars.

Happy Growing,   kiwibob
Seattle

From my experience they are both needed.

I have had fruits on the same tree ripen at different times. Ones that were fully exposed became brown, sweet and fully ripened.

Those that were covered by leaves seem to take a week  or so longer and do not get as sweet and ripened.

But if I had to choose one, it would be heat.

Marches,

Figs can get by with a few hours of direct/bright sunlight. They cannot get by with only a few hours of heat.  Kiwibob gave you some good advice on varieties to consider first. Needless to say, not all fig cultivars are suited for forcing. Read up on forcing figs under glass for more advice from growers in your situation. Good luck!

Desert King, Latarulla and Osborne Prolific are reliable here in Pacific North West(Chilliwack/Vancouver area), Canada.