Hey everybody, I'm sorry if this question has been answered before, but my two trees outside had this happen. It happens every year. Am I not covering them properly? All I do is put a blanket around them, and a garbage can on top with a cinderblock to make sure it doesn't blow away. (I know, I'm a novice) 

Any advice that this doesn't happen or is it even a bad thing?

I would like to know this as well.  All my inground fig trees here in Cary, NC have the same problem until the trunk diameter exceeds two inches.

Thanks

Tad

Sounds like you aren't providing enough protection from the winter chill. 

That's typical winter injury. The damage occurs from the top down. When the top is damaged new growth comes from the lower undamaged parts.

In addition to more protection try growing a less vigorous tree. A slow growing tree will harden off much earlier and be less damaged by the cold. That means less water and less fertilizer. Allow the nearby grass to compete with the tree from mid summer on to dry out the soil and compete for nitrogen. You'd like growth to cease in August or even July. Don't water after mid summer, only fertilize in spring if at all.

I did not know about the grass competing with the figs would help.  Here in Cary some people let the grass grow right up to the fig tree but in four years the tree has not grown at all - still under one foot tall.

Tad

I'm in zone 8b and used to cover my trees. Despite covering them, most of the covered branches did not make it through the winter. Overtrimming before winter is not something that I would do. Unless your tree goes inside as such practice weakens and could kill the tree during the winter freeze.
Every spring, I get new growth mostly from close to or ground level. Even when we have a very mild winter, loss of wood from main structure on young trees depending on variety is significant.
Having planted a whole bunch of trees that were thriving in pots in ground, I'm becoming more familiar with what usually has to happen in my zone.
The most important thing is to have lots of mulch around the base. It acts as insulation. Even if the top is lost, the tree in 70% of the cases does come back. Once the root system has a chance to get established, it should have enough energy to push some new growth and more than make up for winter losses. In almost all cases the initial tree was totally lost, if not the first winter, by the second or third winter it's all new growth. Most of my trees are not irrigated so I'm facing a double challenge as I spend the first few years watching them live and die with little progress. The research continues.