My Results with In-Ground Fig Trees Over the Last Decade

SnoopyFiggy said:
Are these two methods linked anywhere?
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If we're talking about my method it's here:

TorontoJoe

Thread 'Electri-fig-ation'

It's still a bit early for me so forgive the older mix of photos... I wanted to make available my method for overwintering in-ground fig trees in cold climates.

I allow the tree to get hit by a few frosts and drop its leaves naturally. This is generally going to happen later than potted trees as the soil temps need to dip for this to happen.

The first thing I do is prune back.... With larger trees it can be more challenging and you may need to take the tree down further. Once one pruning I use the strongest cord I have... in my case polypropylene twine... and I tie the tree up as tightly...
  • TorontoJoe
  • canada cold cold climate die back overwinter short season winter winter protection
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Vito's is a bit different setup but similar principals.
 
Interesting observation I had today.

I was over at my brothers house and pruned his fig tree. The lowest temperature at his house was 6F this past Winter.

Most of the damage to his tree were the branches +/- 6” from the house. The main branches and trunks further away only had minor tip damage. The only explanation I can think of is that the warmth from his house ultimately caused the closest branches to freeze and die once the cold arrived.

I had the same experience a few years back when my AJH planted against the house failed to lignify before the cold arrived.
 
Vitooch1 said:
Look up “ inground project “ and “electrifigation”
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There’s multiple ways you can achieve winterizing your trees but I think the way we've demonstrated is an effective and easy way to get it done. If you can try and minimize the effort of digging up a tree and throwing a load of tarp and blankets why not do something more practical.
 
I spoke too soon.

While cutting the dead wood of every unprotected fig tree, two actually made it through this past winter: Hardy Chicago (specifically BigBill's Sicilian Dark) and St. Martin. That's really promising for those in zone 6B.


Some additional clarification on ripening dates from my in-ground fig trees:

The Breba Crop
  • At my location, the breba crop starts to ripen around July 1st.
  • Depending on when the variety wakes up, the breba crop's exact ripening date is highly influenced by the date of bud break.
  • Depending on the variety, similar to the main crop, the breba crop ripens at 3 different times: early, midseason & late.
  • The harvest window is very short compared to the main crop (5-15 days vs. 20-60 days). I believe the reason why is that the breba crop forms all at once when the trees break bud in the spring. The main crop forms in succession as each leaf grows, leading to a much longer harvest window.
The Main Crop

At my location, the earliest both my potted fig trees and in-ground fig trees produce the main crop (without a headstart) is around August 1st.

Here's a rough order:
  1. August 1st: Ronde de Bordeaux, Little Ruby, Celeste, Florea, Moro de Caneva, Campaniere, Teramo, Barbillone, Camuna Small Black (Val Camonica Long Green)
  2. August 10th-15th: Hardy Chicago, Allix, Green Michurinska, LSU Tiger, Vagabond, Hunt, Smith (Texas BA-1), Sefrawi
  3. Sept 1st: White Adriatic
Again, refer back to my earlier post in this thread about pruning, winter damage, and hormones.
 
We hit mid-upper single digits here for several nights in a row. There was plenty of other cold but that was the worst of it. My in ground RdB lost only a couple of lower 1 year old branches. Other similar age low branches got staked and buried in leaves/mulch followed by a healthy layer of snow. Aside from those few dead branches, not even a single higher up tip died completely. I think it's father ahead than most of my potted trees at this point.

I left a few stragglers out completely unprotected and all died except improved Celeste (ironic because last year that was the only tree that completely died at my in ground garden plot). Tiger right next to it was totally dead and gave me my first taste of ambrosia beetles before I used it to keep myself warm one night a couple of weeks ago.

The weirdest thing I've noticed is that my two oldest potted 15G trees (kept >20F in the greenhouse all winter) are still barely showing any growth as of today. Still green all the way to the tips, but every other tree kept in the same place is growing really well. I think I'll actually be pinchinh some later this week as they are passing their fifth leaf already.

Weird winter, weird spring here in the mid Atlantic. Probably eye opening for many new growers. Thanks for posting this ross!
 
hambones said:
We hit mid-upper single digits here for several nights in a row. There was plenty of other cold but that was the worst of it. My in ground RdB lost only a couple of lower 1 year old branches. Other similar age low branches got staked and buried in leaves/mulch followed by a healthy layer of snow. Aside from those few dead branches, not even a single higher up tip died completely. I think it's father ahead than most of my potted trees at this point.

I left a few stragglers out completely unprotected and all died except improved Celeste (ironic because last year that was the only tree that completely died at my in ground garden plot). Tiger right next to it was totally dead and gave me my first taste of ambrosia beetles before I used it to keep myself warm one night a couple of weeks ago.

The weirdest thing I've noticed is that my two oldest potted 15G trees (kept >20F in the greenhouse all winter) are still barely showing any growth as of today. Still green all the way to the tips, but every other tree kept in the same place is growing really well. I think I'll actually be pinchinh some later this week as they are passing their fifth leaf already.

Weird winter, weird spring here in the mid Atlantic. Probably eye opening for many new growers. Thanks for posting this ross!
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Thanks for mentioning the ambrosia borers. It's important to get rid of that damaged wood very early. It really attracts them.
 
ross raddi said:
Hello everyone,

It is a very important time to encourage in-ground planting among fig growers in cold growing zones. A lot of us (myself included) just experienced a catastrophic winter (and spring), as someone put it to me recently. This was the worst winter in the last decade at my location, similar to the previous decade's polar vortex in 2016. As a result, optimism is at an all-time low. Pretty sure that's when you buy, not double down.

For context, here are the temperatures at my location over the last decade (zone 7A):
  • 2026: -3 to 2F depending on the weather station you looked at. A total of about 5 nights around 5F. Total dieback of all varieties.
  • 2025: Three nights each reaching 4, 5, & 6F with a long duration. Extreme, but I still had good breba production. Some trees suffered total dieback.
  • 2023-24: Lows were in the high single digits to low teens. Mild.
  • 2022: 6F low. Short duration. Minor damage.
  • 2020-21: Lows were in the high single digits to low teens. Mild.
  • 2017-19: Temperatures reached the low single digits. Limited variety testing, but Hardy Chicago and Little Ruby were both exposed to 2F, suffering no winter damage.
Temperature Limits and Other Factors

Fig trees are pretty good above 5F. Below that, you're asking for trouble. I thought they could be more cold-tolerant than we give them credit for because of very credible reports claiming, "X fig variety was exposed to temperatures below 0F and didn't suffer any damage." This winter was exactly what I needed to disprove or prove my suspicions.

Duration is a huge factor. Maybe the claim that Campaniere can survive -4F is true if there was a short duration of exposure. I'm sure that's the case.

Lignification is overlooked. Far too often, I've read someone say, "X variety is or isn't hardy." Well... how can Hardy Chicago suffer from winter damage when only exposed to 20F? Also, just because you plant the hardiest fig variety in the world, it's not a guarantee your tree will become a large, established, and hardy fig tree. Plant it in another spot, and you may see significantly different results. That's been the case here with a handful of varieties.

Here's what else I found:

1. Your figs will taste significantly better when harvested from established in-ground fig trees than from their potted counterparts. You know how it's hard to go back to unpollinated figs once you eat your first pollinated fig? Well... in recent years, I barely ate the ones from the potted trees. I grow them in pots for trialing new varieties or pollination purposes. That's it.
2. Breba buds have nearly identical hardiness to the branches themselves.
3. The breba crop is severely underappreciated in colder growing zones.

I found that the breba crop is inconsistent when fig trees are grown in smaller pots (3-7ish gallons). Temperature fluctuations in the spring may cause trouble, but I find that you'll see much greater success with the breba crop if you're growing fig trees in larger pots. Or better yet, fig trees with a larger root system ripen the crop much more reliably. Regarding in-ground fig trees, I had also found that the breba crop doesn't delay the main crop's ripening date, the trees know what they can handle (and will reject the ones they can't), and the breba crop tastes nearly equal to the main crop on more varieties than you'd expect. Again, they also have a consistently higher fruit quality than the main crop produced from potted fig trees.

4. Unless you've got Carlos Rivera's microclimate or a greenhouse, potted fig trees ripen roughly at the same time as their in-ground counterparts. Even when comparing some late varieties like White Adriatic. Whether they're grown in pots or in the ground, I ripen White Adriatic's full crop here at roughly the same time.
5. You'll harvest way more figs. Having said that, you're not always going to have success. I'd be willing to bet you probably can with annual winter protection.
6. Protecting large fig trees can be easier than you think. Older wood is more pliable than most people imagine. Some folks wrap large fig trees. You could also drive a heavy-duty stake into the ground and ratchet-strap old trunks or scaffolds so they're positioned horizontally and closer to the ground, making them easier to cover.
7. Protecting a row of fig trees is easier than you think (see Hooiserbanana's or the late great Mario's method).

Now, that's a lot of claims I just made. You don't have to believe me, but a wise man once said, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Herman2 said Mega Celeste was one of the worst figs for humid climates he'd ever grown on an old Figs4Fun thread. That was the gist of it anyway. What did I do? I grew Mega Celeste. Eventually, I realized the same thing.

I am guilty too. That's one example of the countless things experienced growers in the Northeast have told me that I didn't want to believe, but really, I wanted to find out for myself. If you want to do that, my hat's off to ya. Just know, there's a good chance that in 5-10 years, you might come to the same conclusions I have. You'll be kicking yourself, saying, "Why didn't I plant a fig tree in the ground sooner?" Or, "why didn't I give it the attention it deserved and protect the damn thing?"

You might be thinking, "Well, Ross, I have too many fig trees, how could I possibly protect them all?" What about protecting just one tree? I think that everything I said was leading to is... pretend we don't have access to 100s of varieties, choose one, plant it, and protect it every winter. You're going to be way better off most years.

Lastly, this year has really sucked so far. Most of us will have total dieback if we haven't recognized it already. Should we just give up? That's like saying, I should only grow Apricots in pots because, 1 in every 5 years, I lose the entire crop to late frost.

I successfully protected roughly 100 in-ground fig trees this winter. All those trees need is one more winter of protection or mild temperatures. They'll be back in business. And in a decade, after another crazy winter, this post will deserve a bump.
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For your data on the last 10 years' winters, were the trees protected or bare?
 
Charlie Dodgson said:
I remember when Ross planted figs in ground 8 years ago, and he's been successful with it. Here's what he was up to one decade ago:

https://www.theirfigs.com/forum/figs-home/87132-granular-limestone-as-a-mulch
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We all start somewhere. Glad to see many stuck around. And are now helping the newer fig lovers. :)
 
GoodFriendMike said:
We all start somewhere. Glad to see many stuck around. And are now helping the newer fig lovers. :)
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Neat, I had a local grower (elderly Bosnian lady) tell me to do the same thing. I now have one of my trees mulched with limestone gravel.

She said that back home there are places where fig trees literally are growing on top of stones. Apparently the limestone is so porous that it absorbs and then slowly releases water over time and calcium along with it.
 
paupau said:
Neat, I had a local grower (elderly Bosnian lady) tell me to do the same thing. I now have one of my trees mulched with limestone gravel.

She said that back home there are places where fig trees literally are growing on top of stones. Apparently the limestone is so porous that it absorbs and then slowly releases water over time and calcium along with it.
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Totally. In our area in Italy fig trees grow out of limestone walls and structures all over the place. Very common. I'm going to look for some pics I took of wild figs growing out of walls in Carini and Tropea. It's pretty impressive how the crack in the stone can be tiny, then swells to a thick trunk just above.
 
Someone might be curious about the quantity of my harvest. I don't have exact numbers. I do recall RdB produced roughly 400 figs in 2024.

Both Green Michurinska and Moro de Caneva produced 25-50 brebas in 2024 and 2025. If I didn't prune Caeva for size control, it would have reached 20 ft in 2025. Before this winter, I was able to maintain Green Michurinska at roughly 10x7 ft.

After 2 winters of protection or mild low temperatures, most fig trees should outproduce large potted fig trees (20g+). Although I protected 100+ fig trees this winter with great success, their harvests won't be outstanding until next year. Obvious factors like sunlight hours, warmth, & spacing play a major role.

Here are some videos to scroll through that show the production:

 

Some of these videos also show their fruit quality, with varieties like Campaniere, Teramo, & Green Michurinska drying or the tree completely or at least shriveling on the tree nearly every time.

The fruit quality can decrease for some varieties. Here's an interesting excerpt from an article I update annually, titled "The Best Fig Varieties for Humid Climates: The Northeast, Midwest & South" - https://www.figboss.com/post/rain-resistant-fig-varieties

2024 was not a great year for LSU Tiger. Like its parent, Celeste, its figs ripen within a short window. In 2024, there was high fruit fly pressure, and the harvest was mostly fermented, even if harvested underripe. Although Tiger did not start the fruit fly infestation, they do tend to be attracted to specific varieties, whether they’re fermenting on the tree or not.

Again, a similar phenomenon happened in 2025, forcing me to take Tiger off this list. I am leaving it here for documentation purposes. I realized that Tiger had become a much larger fig now that, in 2024 and 2025, it’s an established in-ground fig tree.

As I discussed earlier in the article, smaller fruit size is highly beneficial in humid climates. During the years of growing LSU Tiger in a pot, it was the perfect size and nearly the perfect fig for humid areas. Once established in the ground, the figs became much larger and even had a different shape. The bottom is flatter, and the eye can somewhat open, allowing easy access for fruit flies.

Interestingly, LSU Hollier behaves similarly once established. If only growing it in pots, I would not hesitate to add it to this list. They’ll dry on the tree nearly every time. Generally, most varieties perform better when they’re established in the ground. The neck and stem lengths elongate, but with Tiger and Hollier, the fruits widen at the bottom, which is the opposite shape growers in humid climates aim for.
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These last points in bold are important, entirely contradicting one of my points in the OP.
 
In a static environment, many fruit producing trees can deplete available nutrients in their soil domain over a 7 year period. Reductions of N and particularly K will result in a reduction of fruit production.
 
Italian4u said:
This past winter at one property a White Madeira # 1 was placed in ground and grown to a single whip then bent down and covered. At the second location 4 trees were placed in ground and grown via Japanese espalier style. Each tree from left to right was 4 feet across. They were Campaniere, Moro da Caneva, Green Michurinska, and Ondata. They all made it through the winter. We had temps in the Chicagoland area zone 6A formerly 5B that hit -11F to -15F and with windchill the feels like temps were at -30F. It was cold. So in my zone I was hit with a hail storm and 3 frosts. Beginning of all we gad temps in the 80’s F and so trees that were potted were taken out April 14th. Not to long after that we got hit with a hail storm and then temps dipped into the 30’s F at night. The results were 3 light frosts but frosts non the less. Trees are alive but sadly set back for the year. I will upload video to YT later on their current condition. They will bounce back. Ironically my Black Madeira UCD was unscaved by the hail and multiple frosts. I’m still scratching my head on how that happened but I’ll take it.
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I'm also in Chicagoland area. I would appreciate any advice to establish in-ground fig trees.
 
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