Does anyone interplant / companion plant their potted figs?

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NativeSun

Registered:1399338155
Posts: 178

Posted 1417579914 · Edited	Reply with quote #1

So I was sitting around looking at the fig trees Ive got all potted up -- wanted to be able to move them around, drop some off at my school (thus hiding them from She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, and Little-She-Who-Sees-All-And-Tells-All), etc etc and then I thought that it would be a cool idea to interplant these trees with various herbs such as parsley, thyme, sage, ... you get it. It'd save some space, look nice (I think) and open up some more floor space on the patio and in the garden for ... more figs... and pomegranates, and... so forth. Anyone do this? How has it worked out? Any disadvantages to this? One concern I have is that I got some wonderful information from Joe Morle and one thing he recommends is putting lime chips as a top dressing in the pot... I was going to experiment with that next year. __________________ James, North Florida zone 9A

joann1536

Registered:1409975734
Posts: 274

Posted 1417581486	Reply with quote #2

I have basil growing around the top of the pot of one of my figs. Kind of like mulch. It's worked out well for me so far this year; both basil and fig have done nicely. I have no lime chips on top. __________________ USDA Zone 9b Wish list: Abruzzi, Pasquale, Tagliacozzo, Zingarella, Godfather. Any unk Italian, especially from Abruzzo.

aphahn

Registered:1354927274
Posts: 321

Posted 1417582275 · Edited	Reply with quote #3

I have tried a few different herbs in some of my largest fig pots. It works ok, but as the figs get bigger and fill the pots with roots the herbs seems to suffer. If you try it look for herbs that typicly like it on the dry side, so that they don't compete with the fig for water. It can get very hard to keep your tree and thirsty herbs from drying out in the dog days of summer. Here are the ones I have tried. Parsley - takes way too much water, set fruit production back. Basil - can be very thirsty, but the smaller ones like spicy globe and Greek can work Thyme - has done well Rosemary - did well at first, but may not do well with a pot bound fig Oregano - a good choice Greek mountain tea - first year, but doing well I won't claim it is optimal for either the herbs or figs, but a prostrate rosemary or an oregano sure look great spilling out of the big potted trees on my front porch. __________________ Andy - Zone 6a Lat 39.9º N, Alt 5390' Westminster CO ⚘ Scion List

cis4elk

Registered:1347840383
Posts: 1,718

Posted 1417584532	Reply with quote #4

Quote: She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, and Little-She-Who-Sees-All-And-Tells-All Hilarious! But sheesh, I feel ya. __________________ Calvin Littleton,CO z5/6 Wants List: For everyone to clean-up after themselves and co-exist peacefully. Let's think more about the future of our planet and less about ourselves. :)

Ampersand

Registered:1389979527
Posts: 728

Posted 1417610699	Reply with quote #5

I usually plant herbs, mostly chives and thyme, around my (in ground) fruits to discourage critters. Can't say it really works either way, but there's always fresh herbs if I need it.

cyberfarmer

Registered:1293483474
Posts: 544

Posted 1417620484	Reply with quote #6

I just Googled "fig companion plants" and came upon this thread from a couple years ago: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/companion-plants-for-fig-trees-6389445 __________________ Paul the Fig Tree Destroyer in Fallbrook, CA (Zone 10A )

GreenFin

Registered:1331268315
Posts: 684

Posted 1417622898	Reply with quote #7

I grow a crop of Bloomsdale spinach and Buttercrunch lettuce underneath and around my figs when they go dormant and lose their leaves. __________________ James, zone 6a Kansas (zone 10 greenhouses); wish list is in my profile http://www.FigCuttings.com

NativeSun

Registered:1399338155
Posts: 178

Posted 1417640549	Reply with quote #8

:) Didnt think about lettuces and such...and this is the only time we can grow such things down here... The salad bowl experiment is about to start :) Now, a question... If I am growing salad greens, say, and choose to fertilize them (miracle grow or a low strength organic liquid fertilizer/worm castings tea, etc) would the fertilizer affect the fig trees in a negative way during their period of dormancy? __________________ James, North Florida zone 9A

GreenFin

Registered:1331268315
Posts: 684

Posted 1417641675 · Edited	Reply with quote #9

Quote: Originally Posted by NativeSun If I am growing salad greens, say, and choose to fertilize them (miracle grow or a low strength organic liquid fertilizer/worm castings tea, etc) would the fertilizer affect the fig trees in a negative way during their period of dormancy? I water my salad veggies lightly with fishy water and it doesn't seem to bother the figs, but I'd be leery of overwatering or overfertilizing. __________________ James, zone 6a Kansas (zone 10 greenhouses); wish list is in my profile http://www.FigCuttings.com

NativeSun

Registered:1399338155
Posts: 178

Posted 1417643212	Reply with quote #10

Hey James - check out the "got wasps" thread... I think it was you who had the idea of starting a wasp colony, correct? James __________________ James, North Florida zone 9A

elin

Registered:1360863025
Posts: 1,271

Posted 1417684865	Reply with quote #11

I killed a loquat tree by planting it with herbs since the herb was sucking all the nutrients and water from the tree. Giving each plant respect and its own space is good especially for a small confined space as pots. funny thing- I am re- using soil from different plants and yesterday i noticed an esperagus growing near my RDB trunk :) __________________ Eli ,Israel ,Zone 10? Too humid and hot, yada yada yada https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1298814119 Growing: Sbayi, Hmadi, Black Portugal, Black Brazil,Excell, Flanders, Hmari , RDB, Niagra Black,Natalina, CDDN,Maya, Preto Torres, Preto Arge

zone5figger

Registered:1395082963
Posts: 250

Posted 1417685769	Reply with quote #12

Nasturtiums planted around one of my figs added some nice color and foliage to the pot. Companion planting in pots can be a bit tricky accounting for the needs of different plants, might be more appropriate for in-ground plants...perhaps subject for another thread, but are you familiar with the permaculture concept of plant guilds? Here's an excerpt from Gaia's Garden, a great introductory book on permaculture practices in the garden. http://books.google.com/books?id=gxW0MGXha6cC&pg=PA186&lpg=PA186&dq=apple+guild+gaia's+garden&source=bl&ots=w0pie03hVd&sig=4tUpJ4DkLompMM8x_9_XEqCjFwA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VCqAVJi3Nsu_ggSp04CoAg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=apple%20guild%20gaia's%20garden&f=false __________________ Jesse- zone 5, 1000' elevation

needaclone

Registered:1346812939
Posts: 604

Posted 1417707179	Reply with quote #13

James (NativeSun), Check for posts from Grasa within the last year (or even 6 months) -- she reported on some companion planting she did with her figs. She used a type of clover, if I recall. Jim __________________ Clarksburg, NJ - Zone 6b Wishlist - A wise man recommended: Nero600M . Malta Black . Tacoma (Takoma) Violet . Gino's . Adriatic JH . Vista Mission . Florea . Atreano . ...also...RdB, Bethlehem Black, Negronne, Grise de St. Jean, Livano, Col de Dame Blanc/Gris/Noir, Vasilika Sika, Longue D'Aout, Italian 258, Pennsylvania 6-5000

donpaid

Registered:1388952715
Posts: 216

Posted 1417709185	Reply with quote #14

I'm not sure about potted plants. As mentioned in Andy's post, figs like to take over everything with their roots. But my grandma has always planted mint with her figs that are in-ground. I've done the same and it seems to be working just fine!

aphahn

Registered:1354927274
Posts: 321

Posted 1417725174	Reply with quote #15

Don, Any idea why mint? __________________ Andy - Zone 6a Lat 39.9º N, Alt 5390' Westminster CO ⚘ Scion List

NativeSun

Registered:1399338155
Posts: 178

Posted 1417725252	Reply with quote #16

Thanks for all of the input! Ive been thinking more of annuals than perennials , but yes figs can be greedy. @zone5 -- Ive heard of it, and integrated some of its apsects (hugelkulture) into my in-ground garden; the link is chock-full of information. Thank you! The Nasturniums must be beautiful planted that way ... Ive got one but cant help from eating the flowers! @ needaclone - I will look that up, thanks! __________________ James, North Florida zone 9A

donpaid

Registered:1388952715
Posts: 216

Posted 1417728038 · Edited	Reply with quote #17

Quote: Originally Posted by aphahn Don, Any idea why mint? I'm not exactly sure...I've come to understand that it supposedly keeps the worst of the bugs away. However, I'd ambitiously like to think that planting sweet mint around my fig trees maybe makes the fruit sweeter? Lol...I know, it's a stretch...but five years later, my fig trees and their little mint plant colonies still seem to be close allies.

aphahn

Registered:1354927274
Posts: 321

Posted 1417737507	Reply with quote #18

Thanks Don. I had been debating if I could plant a tree in my mint patch. Sounds like the mint won't be an issue (the cold on the other hand). __________________ Andy - Zone 6a Lat 39.9º N, Alt 5390' Westminster CO ⚘ Scion List

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