Figs

Hi Jamie. I've got a couple of Brown Turkeys that are only a few years old but haven't bothered with any others, reckoning that if these didn't do anything then no other variety would. I put one in the ground in a south facing place and one in a pot. The one in the pot produced a few small fruits this year and is currently in the cold greenhouse to see if I can save any for next year. The one in the ground has never done anything except produce leaves, unless I failed to spot them and then lost them in winter. I guess I should have restricted the roots but at the time I got them I knew nothing at all about them as opposed to the very little that I know now.

The one thing I do know is that they are fairly hardy but after the last couple of weeks I have my doubts about the one in the plot. I do agree with your expert though that the temperate (normally) winters round here are ideal. I don't know about the current one though. I love pushing half hardies to the limit and usually lose about 10% of my stock over the winter. I think I'm looking at about 33% this year but none of us will know until next summer. I reckon the wall is a good idea as long as it is south or south west facing. The old heat sink effect should help.

Sorry I can't be a great deal of help, in fact if you have some in France you probably know more about them than I do. All I can say is that they have survived previous winters, even last February's sudden cold snap. This year I am a little more concerned as it seems more prolonged.

Merry Christmas. I just spotted this whilst waiting for guests and thought I would answer as best I could now.

Figs

Thanks for your reply Sarraceniac,

I'll just have to wait until spring and see if they have survived. One is a Brown Turkey, one a Kadota and the other Jordan, all said to be hardy. I intend to grow them in painted galvanised dustbins against a south west wall.

Im trying to grow figs from cutting, its not working out

Apparently the easy way is to simply put the cutting in either wet tissue or a mix of vermiculite and perlite in a zip-lock bag and leave it somewhere nice and warm. Never tried it myself but friends have reported 50-90% success rates. Air layering is even more successful if you have the mummy plant.

I have a fig growing outside against a South facing wall in Glasgow and it has produced ripe figs for the last three years now. The roots are restricted in a sunken pot. The hardiest Figs such as Brown Turkey and Bavaria should be hardy down to -18C.

I'm going to plant a few Brown Turkeys in the Spring, I'm hoping to get good crops as I love the fruit.

I was given a small brown turkey last year its about 8 inches high now, when do you think it should be ok to put outside? Its currently in my unheated conservatory.

Where you are I would leave them under glass for this winter, outside from May and leave them there permanently.

oh dear! reading this thread reminded me that I have 4 fig cuttings given this autumn and plonked in a planter with other cuttings for company. They are currently sitting under 4 inches of snow. Ah well if they do survive I won't have to worry about hardiness

The friend who supplied them said they were a white fig??