Hi Everyone,

Since getting my greenhouse about a year or so ago, I've been digging deep for info on growing figs/fruit in greenhouses.
One peculiar piece of info seems to come up every now and then.  I can't quote the sources, but I would estimate I have read mention about it in 4 different places.

The piece of info is that figs wont ripen properly if grown under glass.  More specifically, your taste and yield will be reduced if the trees are kept in the greenhouse the entire growing season..

Last year, the first year of my greenhouse and serious fig growing, I would say my crops were very meager.  I had about 15 bearing age trees in containers, so I should I have eaten well.  I didn't.

I chalked it up to young trees, poor weather, improper root pruning, not enough water, too much fertilizer, etc...but maybe it was the greenhouse?

Let me ask:
1) If the trees should be producing fruit, do I keep them in the greenhouse all season?
2) Or is it better to move them into the greenhouse only to extend the ripening season?  Basically, do I start them out in the greenhouse until the night time temps remain above 15* Celsius (late May in 6a) and then move them outside in the air and back under glass in late August Sept Oct?  I could see this helping varieties like Black Madeira, etc, ripen in my zone.

I know someone has the info I need.

thanks
Nas

Think of as if you bought tomatoes grown in a greenhouses. Most of time the taste is not as tasty... In my case I do not mind trading off for less taste and getting more figs. Yes I am in my first year but from I have been reading everything should be fine. After all, in Japan they grow fig trees on a commercial scale in greenhouses. Some other forum members also have greenhouses and they are happy with the results.

This is your second year now so try it again and see the results you will have at the end of the summer.

Since your fig trees are going to be in a greenhouse they will have more growth and this automatically means more figs but if they start falling then there is something that is not done properly.

In the last two weeks the temperature in my greenhouse has been hitting 32 Celsius and the fig trees seem to enjoy it...

good luck

If you had a couple of figs of the same variety and comparable sizes, it might be interesting to put one outside during the growing season to see if there's a difference in production/taste. Not knowing what zone you're in, I don't know how warm it gets, but if you're in a cooler area, it seems like the greenhouse ought to give better ripening temperatures.

I dont care what anybody says but the green house tomatoes are garbage compared to ones that see the sun and fresh air.  They pick them green and ripen them with ethlyne gas.  I dont know if they do this with figs but count me out on green house figs.

True, but they probably do that to commercial tomatoes grown out of doors as well. I may be overlooking some other factor, but it seems like you ought to be able to get good figs in a greenhouse, if you let them ripen fully. Besides, it sure would cut down on damage from rain, birds and beetles!

Nas,

I guess it would depend on the greenhouse. If it was glass, 90F inside and very sunny, probably will work.

Color in some figs seems to be generated by actual "contact" with sunlight. I am still not clear on whether ripening is a question of heat, or light, or both, but ones that are close to ripe, and wrapped to keep birds away, seem to ripen more slowly than others that were not so wrapped, or were less ripe and seem to catch up, giving credence to the need for light. They clearly ripen slower in lower temps, so a 70F greenhouse isn't going to get you there very well, it seems to me. Length of season is a factor, seemingly, but may really just be due to less heat and less sun, not actual length of season. I haven't seen any real studies on how/why figs ripen. Do they need a set amount of days from "flowering", or do they need to accumulate a set amount of heat or light units. Knowing what really happens and what the critical factors are would go a long way to answering the question.

I don't have a good answer here either but I do know this. The first fresh fig I ever ate was an Ital Honey that was grown in a hoophouse and it was delicious. Haven't eaten any yet that have been grown out in the full sun to compare with but plan to change that this summer.

Then there's that fella in MO who grows figs comercially in his geothermally warmed HH and then sells the fresh fruit. So I'd guess that greenhouse ripened figs can't be all that bad or he wouldn't have the lucrative business that he does.

I plan to eventually grow figs in a greenhouse as well as outside. But it may be a few years before I can offer any definate taste test results.

No real help here....Just my 2c I suppose.

We have a very short season and I've tried moving almost ripe figs into a greenhouse to ripen.  It didn't work well - they had no flavor.  The greenhouse is not heated, but was quite a bit warmer than outside.

This year I am starting them early in the greenhouse - they are way ahead of where they would be outside.  Hopefully they should be able to ripen outside while temperatures are still warm and the sunlight intense.  I don't intend to keep the figs in the greenhouse once the weather warms.

Nas
Take the idea from Toronto Stadium with an opening and closing top roof. Open the top on hot sunny days, actually from the beginning of June to the end of August and then spread the top cover back to extend the growing season with good taste fruits.
So far there has not been a ripe fig (remember zone 5 north) that did not taste good, or may be I thought I have to eat it anyway since I have spent 365 days waiting for it fighting all things that came in the way including the squirrels. The greenhouse at least should take care of things like squirrel etc.
I have been planning to build a funny structure for my plants but my right hand fingers are locking and hurting when I grip a tool. The left hand still seems younger though.
I collected 12 patio doors prior to planning for the greenhouse sitting in my garage but I will go with much simpler structure now using conduit pipe and clear plastic. I say funny structure of a greenhouse because it will be on the south side of the garage and have a 2 ft wide walkway passing through the length of a 6' x 22ft enclosure to pass the lawnmower from the front yard to the backyard. I hope it is started this year (once I am able to grip tools).

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. 

I think its worth the test, so I will probably test both ways.

Perhaps we can report back on this thread when the Brebas start ripening.

My Desert King has about 40 nice brebas on it so we will see.  Last year it had none (long story).

Nas

A little update.

I was reading in Eisen's The Fig, that in order for the figs to ripen properly, they must be exposed to the winds and direct sunlight.  Its in the chapter on Fig culture.
Also, I cant remember the name of the source right now, but recently I read another piece on growing figs under glass and it mentioned that if the fig trees were to be in the "grapehouse/stovehouse"(in this particular article) all year, the house must be very well ventilated and the trees placed very close to doors in order to provide them the extra air and access to the rays of the sun.
Now I am not saying this is definitive, but I knew many other growers that ripen all kinds of figs outside and last year I maybe ate 30 figs.  And the trees that produced the most for me were actually outside the greenhouse for 75% of the summer fruit growth and only brought in for the last month or so after I noticed how many figs they were growing and thought the greenhouse would be "better".

Its going to be a hot dry summer in the northeast and I'm pretty certain I'm going to keep all my fruiting trees outside until late late summer or very heavy rainfalls.

Will keep everyone updated if I find anything interesting.

Take care
Nas

If you live in a cold climate ,just copy,FIGNUT Idea,in the post above.
This idea is working for me too.
If I tried to place plastic hoop on them,in OIctober,in order to get the fruits ripe,they were tasteless.
Fignut methods works like a charm,but the gardener has to be very carefull with the transition,from greenhouse to outside sun,and do it gradually and gently preferable just before a rain is coming.

Thanks Herman.  I learned about the need to transition carefully from greenhouse to outside just recently with my VdB.  I never thought it would harm the leaves, but I think it caused them to curl up at the edges.  Almost looked like it was short on moisture but didnt need watering. 
Im going with Fignut plan.  Plus added advantage of having the greenhouse space for the guava, x tra tomatos eggplants and cukes.

I had varieties ripening in the greenhouse, Some were good, others were insipid. For example I had a Jordanian fig in the greenhouse through winter and ripened about 5 figs. They tasted good, however I took the tree out in full sun slowly acclimated it to the outdoors. Yesterday I picked it and it tasted even better. You can definitely taste the difference between sun ripened figs and greenhouse ripened figs.
Also the color of the figs is greatly enhanced by the real sun.
Bottom line, keep them outside in summer, and let them finish ripening in the greenhouse if you like.