Live in zone 7A and have several figs to winterize this year.  Last year I only owned one fig and it was a brown turkey. 

I left it without winterizing and it did great.  Made it through the winter and doubled in size during the growing season.  Last year was a very mild winter for us and I now have several figs.  All will be protected.

My question is when?  I’m assuming (no jokes please) that I wait until early December when the leaves have dropped and after they have gone into full dormancy.  Our harshest weather is in January and February.

Thank you for your help.
 

I always hear early December too, for what it's worth.

Daug,

You did not say where in zone 7 you are from?
I live in Michigan and just north of Detroit.

I place all my figs in my attached garage and they get watered every week or two. Just enough to keep the roots from drying out. I stack them one on top of another by placing the larger ones first and cover with a tarp.

Assuming this was your question?
Hope this helps

Doug,

There are a few videos on Youtube showing the steps with cardboard, thick butchers papers, burlap, and plastic buckets. Do not know the success rates as this will be my first winter with tropical plants other than the seedling I started last year during the winter. 

All mine will be headed into an aviary where there is plenty of bright light and 70 F plus heat. 

I want to say thank you for the replies. I should have provided more information.   I’m in Virginia, just west of the Washington DC Area.   Most of my figs are against the south side of our house and protected.  They receive some radiant heat off the house.   I’m still planning on what type of winter protection I will use.  I do have a few in the yard and fortunately (or unfortunately) they are small enough that I can stack cinderblocks around along with leaves for insulation.  I will take some pictures and report back on this forum. 

I had a needle palm a few years ago that was in the yard and had to provide winter protection.   Used garden post and leaves from the yard to surround.   We kept it as a conversation piece.   Read that some people use roofing black tarpaper and leaves. 

I used to watch a program called In the Garden on the Garden Channel and they were doing a story about a town up in Michigan where they have a rose tipping day.  They dig a trench, tip and bury the roses.  

My question has more to do with when then how.  I’m thinking a few light frosh and after the leaves fall before going into creating fig mummies.  

Great forum. 

Little info

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Moving-figs-indoors-6032969

I'm in 7a also over the river from you in Maryland.  If memory serves I think I protected (wrapped etc) my in-ground tree around Thanksgiving last year.  It's tricky because once you get into November you really need to keep an eye on the weather forecasts in case any early storms or cold snaps are on the horizons.  The ones that cause the most damage involve a very rapid temperature reduction and wind.  On the other hand, if the weather remains mild you might wait until well into December to wrap the tree.  If you protect too early and we get a really warm spell it could be problematic for the tree.

Thanks Rewton. Most of my figs are in-ground and this will be my first winter to add winter protection.  I didn't know any better last year and got lucky with a mild winter.  Our weather is funny and I remember going to Massanutten a few years ago in January and playing a game of golf without a jacket one day and skiing later in the same week. 

I want to baby my figs as much as possible and get them through the winter with as little set back as possible.  I have one fig that was too small to plant and will move it into my attached garage.  The cutting that I have just rooted will spend the winter indoors and under lights.

Thanksgiving sounds like a good target date to begin adding winter protection.  Just didn't know how sensitive figs plants were to the cold.  don't want to stress them out. 

Thanks again.

My tree protection last year, involving and old carpet followed by a white tarp, had an opening at the top.  I placed a bucket over the opening (yes it looked silly but so far the neighbors haven't complained).  On a couple of occasions in the early Spring on days that I knew were going to be warm I took the bucket off the so the heat could escape.  I think a white colored tarp also helps keep the temperature on warm sunny days from getting too high.  I also had some mothballs in a container at the base of the tree for rodent protection.

Steve