Fig tree

[Pads]

People in my village have fig trees growing sucessfully, and I have a baby (about a foot tall) growing in a pot here in england, I would like to take it and plant it in my garden in france, I will be there for the next 3 months to help it settle in but then wont be back for a while, Im wondering if it will survive the first winter as it gets very cold where I am in the Montagne Noir as we are high up... what can I do to protect it ?

Many thanks

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

I'm not sure you'll need to protect it. We had a fig in Rochester, Kent and it survived some pretty nasty winters -- once I got lost in snow drifts walking to work.

[Pads]

Ok ...I will free my little fig tree ....on your head is the life of my 2 year old friend that I grew from a little cutting ...!!

I will let you know next summer how he did

[Grumpy]

If you Google "How to grow figs" there is a very good Telegraph article that sets out the ideal conditions. Well worth a look.  I tried to copy and paste it for you but you can't do it (or at least this Luddite can't.

Grumpy

[Jimmy]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3343769/How-to-grow-figs.html

[Pads]

Thanks for that boys .....

[Pierre ZFP]

I would agree with the Telegraph article up to a point, especially lining the 'hole' with slabs to restrict the root, but I disagree with using loam or compost and such.  I plant mine in rubble, stones, broken bricks and a teaspoonful of soil (well maybe a bit more than a teaspoon)  The reason being that figs are amazingly prolific and if you feed them they will respond with incredible amount of growth.  The problem is that it will be growth of leaves and few figs.

Starve the beggers and they'll give lots of figs.  Using the above methods I get hundreds of figs each year and I still have to cut about 2 metres of growth off every year

[Pads]

Right I have the perfect spot sun all day , rubbish soil ...but what about long periods of not getting watered will it survive that?

How far away from a house will the roots be a problem ?

[Pierre ZFP]

They survive for a long time without water (just think of their native countries) but a new plant will appreciate a drop of water now and then. My fig trees have also endured down to -17 deg C with no ill effects.

The roots are not invasive at all in fact the whole thing has surprisingly soft 'wood', not like a normal tree at all.  Maybe that's how it conserves its water?  So OK near a house within reason.

[Pads]

Many thanks ....

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

I agree about restricting roots and using poor soil. Our one was planted in a hole about 2-3 feet square boxed in down to the raw chalk with concrete slabs. It produced loads of fig that we shared with the neighbours. The only problem with cold winters is that the fruiting season is restricted because most of the baby figs that are produced in the autumn are killed by frost. Only the really tiny ones survive and mature in the late summer.