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  • Container grown figs

    Hi there, I am new to the forum, and would like to seek some advice. This year I am growing more fruit than before, and have dedicated a small section to this. I have no room left for a fig tree, but have been told I can grow one in a pot. What variety would be best, and does anyone have any tips please?
    A bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work!
    There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

  • #2
    Hi Brooklynodog

    I've moved your post to the Feeling Fruity board as the Growing Techniques is a reference only board

    Welcome btw
    Shortie

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

    Comment


    • #3
      I've just been given a Brown Turkey fig tree. Looks a bit sad at the moment, pretty much just a single stem about 4' tall but with quite a few side buds which look like they'll burst forth pretty soon. I've read up what to do with them and the general advice seems to be that they like their roots to be contained in something about 15" square / round! Therefore even if you put then min the ground you should contain them in a pit. Mine is going in a pot (when I've nipped to the garden centre to buy a new one!) against a wall so that I can protect it in winter if necessary. You are quite a bit further south than me so may not need to protect. Hopefully somebody will be along later who grows one to let us in on all the insider knowledge!

      Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

      Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks for your advice Alison. Yes we are further south, but I still recorded -7C last week out the back of my garden!! Even stinging nettles were blackened.
        A bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work!
        There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

        Comment


        • #5
          Yikes, -7! Thought it was cold here but I only recordered -5 on our patio but then again it is fairly sheltered.

          Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

          Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

          Comment


          • #6
            Anybody else got any advice please?
            A bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work!
            There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

            Comment


            • #7
              Have not tried one myself but the brown turkey fig is the one for outside in the UK.

              Everything says they have to have their roots restricted. If a pot, say 12 ins, then don't expect too many figs each year, 12-20 seems the number.

              If planted outside then is the site sunny? Figs need the sun. If you put it in a pit then the pit needs to be lined with paving slabs and the base needs to be filled with rubble. Effectively you are constructing a big pot. After that I presume that you will be training it up a wall?

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              • #8
                Thanks for that Deadwood. Do they need training up something then? I thought they could be free standing, if not i may need to think again. Yes I can put it in a south facing position though.
                A bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work!
                There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Info below from the 'Ask Ken' section of .: Ken Muir :.

                  Figs are sub-tropical plants and need plenty of sun and warmth to grow and crop well
                  outdoors in Britain. They can be grown outdoors in the south and west but further north
                  need a very warm sheltered situation outdoors, otherwise they must be grown under
                  glass. Root restriction should be provided to keep the tree compact and fruitful, as without it
                  the fig is liable to grow rather large and remain vegetative.

                  VARIETIES
                  BROWN TURKEY — Produces large oval fruits with very
                  sweet, deep red flesh. It is the most reliable and widely
                  grown variety. Heavy cropping. Ripens August to
                  September. Self-fertile. R.H.S. Award of Garden Merit.
                  BRUNSWICK — A heavy cropping variety. Produces
                  exceptionally large fruit with greenish white flesh that is
                  pink in the centre. Self-fertile.
                  WHITE MARSEILLES — This early ripening fig produces
                  large fruits with white, transparent flesh. Sweet and juicy
                  with good flavour. Heavy cropping. Fairly hardy. Can be
                  grown outdoors if given a sheltered position. Also very
                  suitable for a cold greenhouse. Self-fertile.

                  CROPPING HABIT

                  It is important to understand the cropping habit of the fig. The fig bears two to three crops
                  each year but only one ripens in our climate. The figs are formed in the axils of the leaves
                  near the tips of the young shoots. It is the small pea-sized embryo figs formed in the autumn
                  that overwinter to produce a crop of figs the following summer (August/September). The crop
                  of figs produced in the spring and early summer never ripen and should be removed in
                  November.
                  The fig does not produce visible flowers; they are enclosed within the centre of the fruit.
                  Varieties grown in the U.K. do not require pollination and the fruits are seedless.

                  TREE FORMS
                  Figs need warmth and sun and so are best grown as fan-trained trees against south or
                  south-west facing walls or fences. In very favourable areas they can be grown as freestanding
                  bush trees. They are excellent for pot culture.


                  PLANTING & ROOT RESTRICTION
                  The fig should be planted in an open-based box which should be constructed of 60cm x 60cm
                  (2ft x 2ft) square paving slabs or something similar, set into the ground with the rim about
                  2.5cm (1in) above ground level. The base of the box should be packed with brick rubble or
                  broken tiles to a depth of about 22cm (9in) to provide drainage and to prevent the roots
                  escaping. The box should be filled with a loam-based potting compost such as John Innes No.
                  3. Alternatively a pot of 35-45cm (14-18in) diameter can be used and plunged into the ground,
                  provided it has adequate drainage holes. Another option is to plant the fig in a Root Control
                  Bag (RCB). If grown against a wall, plant approximately 25cm (10in) away from the wall.

                  PRUNING & TRAINING A FAN
                  Figs are usually obtained from the nursery as two year old plants. They may have a single
                  stem or two or more side shoots.
                  In March following planting, those plants with a single stem should be pruned back to about
                  38cm (15in). Plants with side shoots should have their central leaders removed and their side
                  shoots shortened by a quarter to a third, to stimulate the production of further shoots. During
                  the summer the side shoots are tied to wires, spaced 30cm (12 in) apart in a similar way to a
                  peach.

                  PRUNING THE ESTABLISHED FAN
                  To encourage the formation of compact short-joined shoots to carry the next year’s figs, the
                  growing points of every other shoot carried by the main framework branches should be
                  removed once they have made four or five leaves, providing this is before the end of June.
                  In March or April after the worst frosts have passed, all dead, diseased and frost-damaged
                  wood should be removed. Tie in the young shoots 15-30cm (6-12in) apart, cutting surplus
                  shoots back to one bud.
                  In November, half the shoots that carried fruits during the summer should be pruned back to
                  2.5cm (1in). This will encourage new growth from the base the following spring. All the
                  remaining shoots should be tied in parallel with the wall, approximately 20-30cm (9-12in)
                  apart. Any growth in between should be cut back to source to avoid overcrowding.

                  GROWING FIGS IN CONTAINERS
                  Container grown figs are best grown as a bush on a short stem. It is best to select a plant
                  with three or four branches coming from the stem around 38cm (15in) from the ground.
                  Alternatively, cut back single stem plants to encourage branching. In the late winter cut back
                  these branches by a half to develop a compact framework.
                  In the spring remove crossing and frost damaged shoots to maintain an open centre. Prune
                  back over-long and bare branches where necessary to 5cm (2in) to encourage the formation
                  of new shoots. In the summer pinch out any new shoots at 5 or 6 leaves to encourage fruit
                  formation.

                  MANURING
                  In March each year, broadcast over the rooting area a compound fertilizer as recommended
                  for apples. When the tree is carrying a heavy crop, a liquid feed high in potash, such as a
                  tomato fertilizer, should be applied every two weeks until the fruit begins to ripen.
                  Pot-grown trees should be fed weekly during the growing season, alternating a liquid feed
                  high in potash, such as tomato fertilizer with a balanced feed.

                  WINTER PROTECTION
                  In colder areas and in severe winters, the embryo figs can be damaged by frosts. Fig trees
                  can be protected against frost by using a cover of bracken or straw held in place by a large
                  mesh net. This should be put on in November and removed once growth starts in late April
                  and May.
                  Pot-grown trees can be placed in a frost-free place such as a shed, garage or unheated
                  greenhouse over winter. Alternatively, if this is not available, the container can be lagged with
                  bubble wrap, sacking or some other suitable insulation and placed against a sheltered side of
                  the house, away from the prevailing wind. Pack around the branches with straw and cover
                  with hessian or horticultural fleece. Remove after the danger or frost is passed but before
                  bud burst.

                  HARVESTING
                  Figs are ready for harvesting when they become soft and hang downwards. Small splits
                  develop in the skin and a drop of nectar may be exuded from the eye of the fruit. They should
                  be inspected regularly, as ripe figs will soon rot on the tree. Once picked they will keep for 2-
                  3 weeks if kept somewhere cool.

                  PESTS, DISEASES & DISORDERS
                  Squirrels and birds are the most serious pests. The trees are generally free from disease but
                  occasionally suffer from Coral Spot (dead twigs become covered in pink pustules). Diseased
                  twigs should be cut back to a healthy bud and the prunings should be burned.

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                  • #10
                    Crikey! All you ever wanted to know about figs, but were afraid to ask! Thats absolutely fantastic, thanks!
                    A bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work!
                    There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by deadwood View Post
                      Have not tried one myself but the brown turkey fig is the one for outside in the UK....
                      Think Brown Turkey is a fairly 'bog standard' variety not necessarily chosen for taste. We tried to grow it once when we lived oop north.

                      What varieties are/have people grown and how do they taste (I love finding fig trees out in the countryside when I'm on holiday abroad, yummy!)?
                      To see a world in a grain of sand
                      And a heaven in a wild flower

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                      • #12
                        we have a brown turkey, its our second one my advice would be dont put the pot anywhere a door can fall on it and cover with fleese when it gets really cold.
                        Yo an' Bob
                        Walk lightly on the earth
                        take only what you need
                        give all you can
                        and your produce will be bountifull

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                        • #13
                          Lol! thanks for the advice yoanbob, what do BT taste like, do you know?
                          To see a world in a grain of sand
                          And a heaven in a wild flower

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Brown Turkey is the classic fig for the UK climate - it's the most hardy. It comes from Provence originally I think. I had one outside the bedroom window of my old flat in Portsmouth - it was about 20 foot tall and fruited heavily. The figs, if you were brave enough to climb for them, were as good as any I have ever tasted.

                            The other variety I have seen sold in the UK is 'Desert King' (sometimes called 'Charlie', I think). It's self-fertile and apparently has very tasty fruit, but I can't find a supplier at the moment.

                            I've just discovered that Seeds of Italy offer a few varieties though:

                            Seeds of Italy - Fruit, Italian Figs, Pomegranate and Wine Grapes

                            Not sure how hardy those would be, but worth a go?
                            Last edited by Paul Wagland; 26-02-2008, 11:16 AM.
                            Resistance is fertile

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Paul Wagland

                              Seeds of Italy - Fruit, Italian Figs, Pomegranate and Wine Grapes

                              Not sure how hardy those would be, but worth a go?
                              Why not if its being grown in a container, it could be wrapped up and put in a cold greenhouse, how delicate are they (edit) Northern Italy must get fairly cold?
                              Last edited by smallblueplanet; 26-02-2008, 11:48 AM.
                              To see a world in a grain of sand
                              And a heaven in a wild flower

                              Comment

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