Unfortunately here in So. Cal. in the area I live in, area's that are damp enough to support fig trees on their own, are few and far between. But I've been keeping my eyes open.  Do any members here do clandestine fig planting (Johnny apple seed kind of thing) in the wild or in public places with their extra cuttings?  If you have, have you had any success stories? If so, could you share them? I think it would be a fun thing to do. Thanks.

Me and my students have planted several young fig trees in and around our campus.  We are smack in the middle of downtown and we have a very large homeless population.  The trees should begin fruiting this year for the ones we planted "outside of the fence" .. We planted five trees in just open areas/ vacant lots and left a little sign my each asking the "residents" to keep the baby trees watered and cared for. Sort of a social experiment...  So far the plants have been very well cared for by folk and when Ive checked on them it has led to two conversations with gentlemen who - once they ask me what I'm doing and find out what the trees were, waxed nostalgic with stories of their parents' and grandparents' fig trees.  Hopefully this season the trees will bear abundantly and provide them with a sweet bit of "we really do care about you"

Now we really didnt have a real winter so I cannot say for sure, but all five trees have survived a year with no care on our part.  We will fertilize them twice but besides that we have a "hands off" approach.  The fig trees "inside the fence" are a different story - they are like pampered thoroughbreds that are guarded with keen eyes by each "team" that is responsible for a tree "of their own" (which they may eat of .. or trade with other teams.. thus introducing them to the great diversity within figdom).

I also give baby fig trees to the kids in my garden club to take home and plant and as of last year that is over 90 kids.  This year we are starting 2 dozen additional Brown Turkey and Celeste baby trees (basically the only "big trees" that I have that were not either killed outright or hurt severely by Hurricane Matthew) that we will plant in folks' homesites -- many of our kids live in a "food desert" so they get to see, hopefully , an impact with their own eyes.  We call it a "drive-by fruiting" which (A) Inner-city kids think is hilarious and (B) Since none of them have seen Mrs. Doubtfire they think their madman of a history teacher is some kind of comedic genius... thank you Robin Williams!

Im really hoping that this will do good for the community  because Im certain I have built up some time in purgatory for misleading children into blasphemy (the most common comment when a kid has a fig for the first time is "Oh My G--" and now some of the "kids" who are now in high school are sniffing around for other varieties and , unless I am mistaken, that counts as "covetousness" )

Some folk sling drugs to kids. I'm a fig slinger hahah  But , and I say this with all due seriousness, figs are an almost ideal mechanism for introducing kids to good food that is good for them.  Now if I can just convince the landscape dudes to quit mowing down my Mayhaw trees all will be right in the Kingdom...

You are a good man, James! Keep up the good works....

Thanks for sharing such an uplifting story James. Hard one to beat.  Any other clandestine figging fanatics out there?

I've tried responsible guerrilla gardening a bit - with a few fig plants now out there, too.

The tough part is finding arable green spaces that won't get mowed down later.  Usually, if the ground is good - it will already be forested over.  And if it's clear - then it's usually infertile, regularly mowed, or sprayed with herbicides (like near train tracks).

So, it's not that easy to find naturally fertile AND clear areas to plant in.  That's usually a bit of a Catch-22.

In the 2nd case, you can help increase soil fertility in a barren area by regularly carting in compost and deadfall.  But then it may take a year of effort just to prep an area before you can even plant in it.  Well, it is what it is...

Regardless, I do think responsible guerilla gardening is a great idea and way to pay it forward - if done smartly and responsibly (using mostly native, disease-free, non-invasive plants in clear areas not over underground utility lines, etc).

Tony I try to help the kids but (laughing) I also have ulterior motives.  My wife has explicitly stated that I may not bring more trees HOME... she did not mention my schoolyard or my other "secret location" that houses lots of my figs and other fruit trees hahah

Now that Im findiing out what really survived Matthew and what did not, it is time to replace some of the cultivars that did not do so well in my location with others.  And , technically, if it is replacing something being removed, I have not added MORE figs, have I ????

Everything is proceeding according to MY design....hahah

@nativesun, you have a great sense of humor about this. Too funny!!!