As a cold climate fig tree grower, it is my dream to find a fig tree that will survive a cold winter in ground without protection.

The tree doesn't have to be handsome. The fruit doesn't have to be unusually big or especially tasty. Provenance doesn't matter at all. I just want to find a tree that can take the cold of a Zone 6 winter. Maybe one's out there. Maybe not.

There are a lot of varieties that we think of as hardy--Celeste, Sal's, Brown Turkey, Marseilles VS, and so on. Maybe one of them is the tree. But my guess is that the hardiest tree out there won't be a named variety. People who care enough to know the variety names of their fig trees don't usually leave them outside without adequate winter protection. Trees are more often put to the test when the original owner of the fig tree stops caring for it--whether because of moving or health problems or whatever. (see e.g., http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/nyregion/thecity/01feat.html). I'd bet that the best places to look would be in immigrant neighborhoods that have recently begun to gentrify.

Anyway, I pose this challenge: who can find the fig tree growing in the coldest USDA hardiness zone, that is in ground, outdoors, and unprotected? In the event of a tie, we can check historical climatological data. The fig tree growing in the spot with lowest average annual low wins. Espaliered trees don't count.

I am prepared to offer as a prize some unknown cuttings from two very large (but winter-protected) fig trees growing in ground in my neighborhood (hey, it's the best I can do). I encourage my fellow cold winter growers to add to the bounty. Extremely cold hardy fig trees have no commercial agricultural application and are of interest only to the hobbyist. We can't expect UCD to do the work for us, and unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Cornell or Penn Sate will ever open a fig tree breeding program. It's up to us.

My neighbor Don, has been growing two unknown varieties in-ground here in zone 6b for at least five years now.

Just the middle of last month (Nov.) he gave me a few starts of each one which I promptly planted in my yard. These are my first fig trees ever. They are one yellow variety and one brown. Maybe by late next year I'll have gotten them identified, with the help of some fellow forum members.

I'll be posting pics of them when the time comes.

It's my neighbors fault that I am now diving headlong into figdom. Guess I'm left with no choice but to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes!

Matt, I'm also looking for figs that can be grown out side without winter protection, in our cold zone 6 in Connecticut. When I say cold I mean cold. It got down to minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit here last year. after doing research for a year on which figs were available. We ended up planted last summer, Marseilles Black VS, Ronde de Bordeaux, Sal's Corleone, Hardy Hartford and Brooklyn White. Two years ago we planted Violetta. Five years ago we planted one of the Hardy Chicago variant. We received cuttings this last fall of Atreano and Danny's Delight. In checking the historical weather data for Pittsburgh I find that your weather station is reporting a low of only minus 7 degrees Fahrenheit for Pittsburgh and that happened January 16, 2009. I'm thinking you already have the hardy fig your looking for, Marseilles Black VS, In talking to Herman2, he told me that Marseilles Black VS has been growing in Columbia, Maryland without winter protection since 1947. The weather station for that area is indicating that it gets colder in Columbia, Maryland then it does in Pittsburgh, PA. Also, Bass of Tress of Joy has found several unknowns in the Bethlehem area that were unprotected when he found them. The Bethlehem, PA. weather records indicate that Bethlehem also gets a lot colder the Pittsburgh. I intend to add Bass's Bethlehem Black to our test plot this spring. My correct email address is robertcharper at symbol gmail.com Hope this information helps. Bob 

I have the same interest in cold hardy figs.  I have some of those R. Harper mentions plus two unidentified figs that have been growing unprotected in the Tulsa area.  One of these has a history that goes back at least sixty years in the Tulsa area.  Coldest temp I have recorded here, thirty miles S. of Tulsa in a rural area, was minus ten F. 

I have the unidentified figs in pots now, but they will get their tests when I have cuttings rooted for spares.  Only one of the two has fruited for me, but it makes a really large, nice fig. 
Ox

I can help in the final verification of hardiness of your cold hardy fig plants here in Zone 5 north Ottawa where we get a few weeks of -15F to -22F almost every year (January & February) if we ignore the low spikes of -30F in some years (excluding wind chills). 

Last summer I started some cuttings from a tree in Clifton NJ (zone 6) that was left unprotected for years and was hardy. Also there are several large unprotected trees in NYC.

Joe

I hope that Matt is right and maybe somewhere out there someone is already growing a fig that would be hardy in western PA.  But good luck finding it.  Think microclimate.

By the way, western PA is pretty cold, definitley colder than Columbia, Marlyand.  Check out this USDA Zone Map: http://www.aston-simms.com/DSN/wwwastonsimmscom/Content/Images/USZoneMap.jpg (click on it to zoom in)

Hey guys. Glad to see there's some interest on this topic. Pittsburgh does get pretty cold. We charted a record low of -22F in 1992, and we hit -7F last year. Our average annual minimum temperature between 1997 and 2009 was about +0.5F. We're generally a few degrees colder than the eastern half of the state. I think we might be in a lower zone than Boston.

I have heard some rumors of large, unprotected fig trees in Pittsburgh, but they are definitely hard to track down. My neighborhood has a decent sized Italian immigrant population, so there are a lot of fig trees around. I have an elderly neighbor who stopped covering her tree a few years ago (I convinced her to cover it this year). It dies down to the ground, but it sends up 4-6 feet of shoots and ripens some figs. All of the other fig trees I've found are winter protected.

Looks like Saxonfig and Oxankle are the early leaders in the hardiness challenge. Ottawan, if you can find an unprotected tree growing in Ottawa, you deserve special recognition. Outstanding achievement in the field of fig hardiness, perhaps. I hope we can find some more. I might place some fig wanted ads in church bulletins this spring. I'm thinking Greek Orthodox churches and Catholic churches in historically Italian neighborhoods.

Robert--I grew Danny's Delite from cuttings this spring. Edible Landscaping says that it's the same thing as Lattarula. It was fairly vigorous, but it was the only fig I grew that didn't bear any fruit. It dropped its leaves on time, but the terminal nodes never really hardened off. Celeste and Brown Turkey MD (probably Marseilles VS) were much better in that regard.

This is not fair. Here I am in zone 37, or some such thing. I have trees that are hardy here. But, no, you guys have to jump immediately to zone 6b and shut out everyone in zone 7, 8, 9, 10,13, 24, and 37. ;-))

wahhh wahh Jon... it sucks to be you, growing bananas and figs in the ground all year. haha. If only I had your climate!

Jon dont feel bad im on the other end.

Yeah Jon, I used to live in zone 37&1/2 (well zone 10 anyway).
And yes, I may be able to find a few nice varieties of figs that do well here but I sure can't grow citrus & mongoes in my back yard here in 6b.

That type of fresh fruit is one of the main things I miss about S. FL. There's nothing like eating a fresh, fall-off-the tree-ripe mango. Or walking out my back door in Dec. and picking a sweet ruby red grapefruit.

All of the fruit trees in my yard was probably the biggest selling point for me when we bought that house. We had 3 types of oranges, a grapefruit, 1 lemon, 1 tangerine, loquat, 3 types of mangoes, 1 rose apple, papayas, bananas, coconuts, and a few more that I planted while living there.

I had started getting into the more tropical types of trees such as Jackfruit, white and black zapote, guanabana, sugar apple (annona), mamey, breadfruit, durian, and a few others that I'm sure most have never heard of. It was fun playing around with some types that are tough to keep alive even in that zone. Kind of like growing figs in containers I guess.

I'd heard about some guys doing pretty well with some types of figs but never tried my first fig tree while there....what was I thinking? 

I agree with Jon this contest is discriminatory and unconstitutional. I will seek a Cease and Desist court order on these grounds. Lol

Ha! That's good stuff Sal. Had I not just posted the above I might have chimed right in with something like 'the gavel will soon fall in favor of the southerners!' or some such.

Oh, but you were serious....so..uh..sorry 'bout that.

Ugh, durian.  I was wondering what that smell was ;)

I always look for fig trees that survive without protection here in eastern Pennsylvania. I like to visit those areas that were settled by immigrants. I found Dark portuguese in the Portuguese section of Bethlehem, pa where it survived over 60 years. Brooklyn white from Bayridge area in Brooklyn. As well as few Italian, Greek, and Syrian varieties. Those trees may have been benefited from the micro climate.

I doubt that any fig tree will survive without any damage in temperatures below 0°F if it was planted in the open without any protection, or without the benefits of microclimate.

I agree with Bass as no fig tree will survive in my area without protection darn it !
But one day down the road i wont worry about storing them in garage !

LOL;
These guys living in sunny paradise griping because they are cut out of a "cold fig" search!!!!  I should be so lucky.  

We may never find a tree that can survive unprotected on the plains of N. Dakota, but we may find one that can survive if planted on the S. side of a barn.   That one tough tree, in the hands of one of our members, will  spread all across the continent.  Then we will be looking for the one descendant of that tree that seems to produce the biggest/juiciest, best tasting, and earliest ripening fig. 

Or we could ask some enterprising young molecular biologist to insert a fish gene into our trees and make them frostproof.  The figs would be impervious to frost but would smell like the dickens if not eaten within the day. 

The hunt is on.  Stay after it fellows; sooner or later that one tough variant will appear.

Ox

I have one of my negronne/vbd in a 25gl pot.

Before that I had it in the ground about two feet behind my house facing the south for a couple of winters unprotected.
The first year I planted it in the ground the main stem/trunk grew well over 12' with out branching. I cut it in half and the bottom half died off after the first winter but the tree its' self came back.
Same thing happened the 2nd winter ( unprotected ) and popped right back.

Last summer I transferred it into the 25gl pot only because I didn't like where it was placed.

I have several more negronne/vbd in pots and considering the summer we didn't have they were the best producers.

You know i have been thinking about the subject since it was posted.
Now i'm noo expert but do have a bout of common sense hit parts of my brain every so often.
I would think to find such a fig one could possibly locate the "real deal" in a part of a country that has figs growing there already and then venture to where parts of that country are just plain cold in a search of this cold type .
Negretta Fig is said to grow in rocky areas and on hillsides in Northern Italy if memory serves me correct  and tolerate the cold how cold im not sure, its a wild type of fig that was sent to the states i had talked to the person that sent it via email in the past but not sure how cold tolerant it actually is as mine is small and i dare not leave it outdoors in my climate least not yet until i can propagate off it then just maybe i could try but that would be some years down the road.

Good Post Ottawan.
Thats what i meant about finding a fig plant in a natural habitat if i may call it that then testing it elsewhere.
Just curious do you have any idea what the extreme low winter temps might be in that area?
I have heard of skardu black not sure if i ran across last season on ucdavis site or jons.

dieseler
Skardu average minimum in January-February is around -10C (14F to 15F).

I Do have Skardu Black,and is hardy Indeed.
Last wi8nter,,was ,8 F,and it was in Third year,still small in size yet,it came trough the winter with no damage.
I would also Recomend Florea,for People that said that they do not expect the best in taste.
Florea is also excellent tasting,in dry Climates,with cold winter,but not in rainy sogy climates.
It was my Father tree,on Paralel 44 in Romania Europe,Zone 6 ,but much colder than here in New Jersey,with usual January Nights,of -25 C,about-10 F
It also have ripe main crop fruits,on 25th of July,about 3 weeks,ahead of any cultivar I know.
H2

Well, Herman that is very good information to grow both Skardu Black and Florea in Ottawa where the last 3rd part of the January experiences -25C regularly. I guess some protection will help. The early ripening will be a bonus+.

Well,I forgotten to say,That Skardu Black,never had totally ripe fruits,to date due to very cold Sommers,in 2008,and 2009,so I cant testify about quality of taste.
Yet I could guess,it is Similarbut not Identical, to English Brn Trkey,wich Kind of reassemble.
H2

Herman, has everyone who has tried fruiting Florea in the United states, all reported back that they could not get Florea to fruit good tasting figs? Also, since Florea is a cold hardy Romanian fig, have you been able to test any other cold hardy Romanian figs that perhaps came from your father's village? Have any fig testers living in desert areas reported back being able to get Florea to produce good tasting figs?  Bob

I would like to know more about this Skardu Black, the Pakistani fig. How did it get to the States?  Is it one of the UC Davis figs?( OK, I found it on the UC Davis site; no, it is not Black @1) tch, tch; should have looked FIRST.)

Herman; if Florea is cold hardy, grows well and makes a tasty fig in normally dry areas it should be a good fig for Oklahoma.  We are normally pretty dry here from the middle of June thru  the end of August, with only a little rain in September.  (But don't ask about THIS year.)
Ox

I dug up a tree this past summer in the Freedom, PA area. The owners kept trying to kill the "Maple tree" and mowed over the shoots for years. I have it potted in my cellar and it has many prolific shoots. It did NOT fruit this past summer so I have no clue as to its type. Perhaps I can break off a chunk of shoots for you this some time this year. Lots of folks kept fig trees on south facing hills in the area and did the winter burial method in W.PA.

vern 2006 from Arkansas listed Tashkent as being one of the fig varieties he has (see: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=2155964&highlight=tashkent).
If it is actually from the Tashkent, Uzbek region, it should be a pretty cold hardy fig. Not quite as far north as H2's Florea @ 44N but still around the 41st parallel.

EDIT 1-4-10:
Raintree has it listed on their availability list. This is what they have to say about it:
 
"Tashkent Fig:
This green fig has an excellent flavor. Raintree brought it from Uzbekistan where it was the heavy producing favorite among many cultivars in the garden of a Uzbek horticulturist. The fruit is green and flesh light colored with an excellent flavor. It thrived in the cold Tashkent winter but hasn't been tried in cold regions in the United States. It has not set well in Raintree's maritime climate and prefers areas with hot summers."

Anyone know much about the flavor, etc of the Tashkent fig?

Skardu Black and Florea are definitely good leads. Skardu sounds especially promising. The average January and February lows in Pittsburgh are actually slightly warmer than the ones Ottowan found for Skardu: 20 and 21F, respectively. Wikipedia says that the lowest temperature of the year can reach -25C/-13C.

Martin, I think you're right that Europe/Asia is probably a better place to look for hardy figs. People in the Western Hemisphere have been selecting for hardiness for a relatively short amount of time, and I'd assume that most of the varieties that were brought here were not selected for hardiness. On the other hand, people in Europe and Asia have been extending the geographic range of figs for thousands of years. I would bet that the world's  hardiest fig is there and not here. Still, I'd really like to know what extremes exist right now in the U.S. and Canada, at least in part, because obtaining cuttings would be much easier and less time consuming.

LittleCityFarmer, I'm always on the lookout for local fig cuttings. I have four local trees now, but only two of them are big enough for cuttings. Let me know if you want to trade a couple in the springtime.

I remember this fig tree. looks like a normal EBT.
It is not really unprotectred cause it is on a wall, but
as described, it "survived unprotected -18,4 grad fahrenheit in the
Czech Republic in Zone 6 near the border with Poland"
I have 2 plants of that one and I have in mind to make a trial in zone 6 in austria, when it is 3 years old.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fgyKNdGHLG0

There are a couple of trees in my area I hadn't mentioned yet.
One of the small trees I rec'd in trade from a local horticulturist came from a tree growing in Owensboro, KY (zone 6a). Appaerently it (the parent tree) has been growing there for years. In fact the very potted tree I rec'd, sat outside (in the pot, above ground) all through last winter with little to no damage occording to the fellow I got it from. I have it stored in my attic right now. We'll see how it does this year.

Also I know of a guy here in town that has been growing a tree for years and apparently it experiences no die-back. I still have to meet him and learn more about it. The lady who told me about his tree said she thinks it's a yellow variety and he brought it from Monrovia-?(maybe Moldova).


  

I am enjoying this discussion, especially since it is bitterly cold outside where I live, close to Kansas City.     Skardu Black has been discussed and am appreciative that it was pointed out where this fig was collected.   There is also another fig known in the germplasm collection as DFIC 147, "Black Fig I," and also as "Hunza."    http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1536697    I am wondering if anyone has had any experience yet with this variety?    It also comes from an equally harsh, and presumably cold area at an elevation of 2315 meters or 7595 feet.    

Ingevald:
I have the Black fig #1; If it survives the terrible weather we are having now it will fruit this summer.  Since I had no idea that it was at all hardy it is planted in the shelter of a building and covered with hay and a barrel.  This will be an interesting test of its hardiness.  It grew very well this year; it apparently is a vigorous tree. 



Ox

Apnoist:Your fig is not an unknown:I have seen your video:It is the real and correct English Brown Turkey.
I also have one identical to yours.
Leaves ,fruits ,etc.
All Identical.
I am so Happy knowing it resisted,to -18F.
That is about -25C
I left Mine without Protection this year,so we will see.
H2

Ingevald
Skardu and Hunza are in the same approximate region in very northern Pakistan. Average minimum or extreme low temperatures are not as bad as Ottawa but the snow stays much longer.
Both fig varieties (Skardu and Hunza) are worth trying.

Herman2:
Of course you are right.
Its clear that it is a EBT.
Maybe I should make some trials with it with
radioactivity or homones;)

Please no hormones! I don't want my figs getting moody once a month, I deal with that enough already.

smiling,
Little John

Simply put...and as always...
Herman is (one) of the greatest fig persons,
specially for us (them) up-north fig-people...

I know the Czech Republic gentleman, a good guy. I also have some of these trees.

I have been impressed with the Bayernfeige Violetta. I just checked on some trees just under a tarp and it has NO dieback compared to the others.

[IMG]http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w8/loslunasfarms/Bayernfiege%20Violetta/DSC00695.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w8/loslunasfarms/Bayernfiege%20Violetta/DSC00696.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w8/loslunasfarms/Bayernfiege%20Violetta/DSC00519.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w8/loslunasfarms/Bayernfiege%20Violetta/DSC00029.jpg[/IMG]

Nice pictures Jose, those figs look so creamy, like jelly. I like the tight eyes. It might be a good fig for rainy areas.

Gene, Violetta was the best fig this year. Now that my trees are ~3 years old, one will go on trial into the ground this year.

I will cover it with greenhouse winter film with a small hole for ventilation and with an inverted pot on top.

My English Brown Turkey came in from last winter without any Damage.
Lowest last winter 8*F

Herman,
What is the source of your EBT?

Antonio Esposito

gorgi
What is the source of your EBT (which I have as well, thanks).

Mine came from Herman, but I am not sure if it the same he has now.

This is of interest to me as I am on the cold edge of zone 7.    Knowing that hardiness was a challenge I planted Celeste and Hardy Chicago plus a number of others. 

As it turns out, I do not at all like the flavor, the size or the productivity of either Celeste or HC.  Kadota tastes to me much like cardboard.  Herman's MVS is tasty but small.  Sal's fig is no better than Celeste in my opinion, small and of mediocre quality. 

On the other hand, I have a Texas Everbearing (what CAN it be?), a Bayernfeige Violetta and two local unknowns that make large figs and are delicious.  A Joe Morle Paradiso in the ground is making large figs that are very tasty as well. 

Of course my two unknows (very much unlike in leaf but similar in size and color) have survived in Tulsa because they were either very hardy or in warm microclimates.  Who knows until I put them in the ground here?

Unless you are principally a collector without an interest in what you get for your efforts, productivity, taste and the rewards of labor count.  I'd certainly like to find that ideal fig, highly productive, large, cold-hardy and flavorful.
Ox

According to Antonio Esposito,in North Jersey,The best fig in his Garden over all,with somewhat large fruits is Adriatic JH,from Texas Gardener John Wood.
He has many varieties like I do and he told me this information,wich I took it and now I have a handfull of plants.
This should be one fig that will please the gardener that want to have only one plant,but.
It is white and not everyone prefer white fruits!!!!