Top Tip for Growing Figs in Cold Climates

By Steven Biggs

My top tip when teaching people to grow figs in cold climates is to be creative.

My top tip: be creative and find an overwintering method that meets your needs.

Find a fig overwintering method that suits you, that ties in with your approach to gardening, and works with the features that you have around your property.

Here are things to think about as you decide how to overwinter your fig trees:

• Your zone: How much protection your fig tree needs over winter depends on your plant hardiness zone.

• Microclimates: Are there “microclimates” around your property? These are spots with conditions that are different from other parts of the garden. E.g. a south-facing brick wall that captures heat by day, and releases it by night.

• You: The way that you decide to protect your fig over the winter will depend on how much lifting and schlepping you can deal with.

• Your Property: Each house and yard is different. I once met a Toronto gardener with what he called a “fig cave”…a tunnel-like stairwell between his garage and his house, which was on a hill. It was ideal for him to overwinter his potted figs. Think about what options you have for overwintering figs around your property.

• Your Budget: There are unusual gadgets for people who want to innovate when overwintering figs. (For example, I know a gardener with a thermostatically controlled outlet that runs the heating cable around his fig.) Other gardeners innovate using commonly available supplies.