Grow Your Own Magazine

I'm sitting here at work munching a fig. Yum

ut the gardener in me is screaming 'save some seeds to grow a fig tree'.

Now... besides the tree taking a while to grow (any one know how long it takes them to get to full size?) does anyone know how the tree needs to be before it fruits?

Am I looking, in reality, at figs in 10 years from a pip?

Edit:

The gardener also in me just hates the fact that I threw the skin in the bin and not in my compost - am I beyond help?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Hi Shortie, I grew a fig from seeds saved from one I ate & it is in a pot on the decking. It's probably about 4 or 5 years old now, about 3ft tall with just a few long branches & no signs of any fruit. I gave one seedling I grew to my neighbour & her plant is now a lot bigger than mine (in a much bigger pot) but no fruit. I think you have to know how to prune them properly to get fruiting spurs & I haven't really looked into it. You stand a much better chance of getting fruit if you use a cutting from an existing tree I think. You have to restrict the roots as well or else they grow like wildfire & I think restricting them encourages fruiting too & they prefer being against a south facing wall. Also the variety might not be right for growing in this country, 'Brown Turkey' is supposed to be O.K. Go on give it a try!

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Yeah, you see I have no idea what variety it is... migh give it a go for the heck of it as you say

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Hi Shortie,

If it's one you bought I suspect it won't be as hardy as a variety like Brown Turkey which may be one reason your's isn't fruiting SueA.

As to pruning them, just make sure you don't get the sap on your skin as is an irritant ( bit like giant hogweed & me )

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

I had one when I lived in Germany, in a pot on my terrace. It was about 1.5 feet high, and produced a few fruit already that year (although the flavour wasn't that great). I didn't grow it from seed, though, I bought it from a shop when it was 1 foot high. It produced its first fruit the following year. Maybe it was taken from an existing tree?? Could it be that taking seed from a bought fig might sometimes be like trying to plant a seed from an F1 hybrid and it will grow but is sterile? No idea, just a thought. If nothing else, though, they're attractive trees, so like you say, why not give it a try?

I'd like to grow a fig from seed I've saved since last year - any advice from those who have done it? What is required?