Lisa Taylor
Saskatchewan Perennial Society
I remember the first time I tried a fresh fig from the grocery store. I was intrigued by its unique flavour and texture; the smooth skin, soft juicy flesh, and crunchy seeds. It was different than the dried figs I was accustomed to. I thought to myself, how much better would this fig taste if it was fully ripe and picked fresh from the tree? I did some research and was thrilled to discover that it was indeed possible to grow figs here in Saskatchewan!
The common fig (Ficus carica) originated in Western Asia and was distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and eventually the rest of the world. There are three categories of edible figs: Common figs, Smyrna figs and San Pedro figs. Smyrna figs will not set fruit on the prairies without the pollination of a wasp species that is not native to Canada. Common and San Pedro figs can be grown as they do not require pollination to produce an early “breba” fruit crop. This breba crop is produced on last season’s wood and ripens much earlier than the main crop which develops on the current season’s growth. In Saskatchewan, our growing season is too short for the fig’s main crop to ripen so varieties with a high yielding breba crop are a must.
Overwintering fig trees in cold regions is simple, as long as one has an appropriate setup. The fig tree’s ability to go dormant makes it capable of surviving the winter with less care than that of a standard houseplant. Trees should be grown in large pots and moved to a dark, cool spot for the winter. An attached garage, basement cold room, or insulated shed works fine as long as temperatures are near the freezing mark. The optimum temperature range for fig dormancy is between -1°C and 7°C. You may need to add additional heat during cold spells.
Yellow Longneck fig tree growing outdoors during the summer.
When autumn arrives, leave your fig tree outside for the first few light frosts. This will cause the leaves to drop and the plant to go dormant. Many varieties survive outside night temperatures as low as -7°C when dormant, but be careful of large drops in temperature if the plants are still actively growing. If sap is still flowing the trunks can split and die back. However, sometimes the roots are still alive and the plants will regrow from the base. Dormant trees in storage should be watered lightly every couple of months. Check the soil once a month and only water if the soil is no longer moist. Overwatering can cause the tree’s roots to rot.
Dormant fig trees may be brought back outside in the spring after the danger of frost has passed as the new growth will be tender. If you have an suitable indoor space then I highly recommend trees be given a head start and taken out of cold storage early (the end of March or beginning of April) and placed indoors in a bright warm area. Once outside, the more sun the better for fruit production. Pots can be placed on a patio or buried directly into the ground and then dug out in the fall.
Starting fig trees from cuttings is a good way to propagate them as they root readily. I fill a clear plastic container with a 1:1 mix of moistened fine woodchips (orchid media) and perlite. Then I lay my 6 inch cuttings in the media and cover with the lid. I have also had cuttings root in a glass of water as long as the water was changed frequently. There is an active fig community online with people in Canada willing to sell or exchange cuttings.
Fig trees grow quickly and are easy to shape. It is preferable to train them to a single stem by removing side shoots as the plant grows. Feed with a general all purpose fertilizer (20-20-20), however avoid over fertilizing which will cause lush growth instead of fruit. Alternatively, remove fruiting trees from their pots every few years, root prune a bit and add new potting mix with a little compost. Keeping your fig slightly root-bound helps restrict the plant’s growth so less top pruning is needed. Search for varieties that are naturally dwarfing and more suited to growing in a pot. ‘Little Ruby’ is a dwarf tree that does really well in pots, reaching only 6 feet tall.
There are hundreds of fig varieties with fruit of various shapes, colours, sizes and flavours. I now have 10 different varieties and the list keeps growing! On the prairies with our short growing season, cultivar selection is essential. For San Pedro figs I recommend ‘Desert King’, known for producing a consistent high yielding breba crop. I also recommend ‘Yellow Longneck’ for its deliciously sweet, tennis ball-sized fruit. My favourite Common fig is ‘Lattarula’ also known as ‘Italian Honey fig’.
When harvesting your figs wait until the fruit is soft to the touch, the neck starts to droop, and the fruit comes off easily. Sometimes the skin will start to crack and the small eye hole at the end of the fruit will have a drop of nectar-like liquid leaking out of it.
Harvesting my first ripe fig was every bit as exciting as I imagined it would be. There is nothing quite like a sweet, juicy fig picked fresh from your own backyard.
Lisa Taylor (BSA) is a horticulturalist living on an acreage northwest of Saskatoon with her husband and two daughters.
