General:

Figs have been cultivated for thousands of years. They are valued for their nutty flavour and their medicinal properties. The fig is a medium sized tree, giving good shade. The price of figs in the shops is always high so why not have your own supply of fresh juicy figs?

Note that figs are not fruit but flowers in an odd configuration: that is, they are flowers inside out. Some trees can bear 2 crops depending on the climatic conditions: that is, some trees have a summer crop, called a breba crop, formed in the previous autumn on the tips of that season’s wood. Therefore you should not cut back these shoots if you want a summer crop.

Types:

Planting

Figs are grown from dormant hardwood cuttings. Choose a one-year old, fully mature shoot, about 1cm in diameter and about 15cm in length. Bury the shoot in soil with one node showing. By spring the end of the shoot should have a soft white callous growth.

To plant, select a site with full sun and well-drained soil. Figs can tolerate very poor soils but benefit from being in a rich soil. If you buy a fig tree, cut back the tree to about 60cm and in the following seasons train it to have just 4-5 main branches. Figs can be espaliered.

An even level of soil moisture is best even though figs are drought tolerant. Do not over-fertilise (nitrogen) as this encourages vegetative growth rather than fruit production.

Growing fig trees in pots

Figs grow well in pots and can be treated like a shrub, pruning back hard to promote new season wood on which the main crop will grow.

Pests

Figs suffer from few pests and diseases. However, birds LOVE figs so it is best to net your tree if possible. I have seen nets weighted down at the ends to prevent possums or mice crawling under the net!

Harvesting

Always harvest your fruit wearing gloves as the white sap can be irritating to the skin! They will only ripen on the tree and a ripe fruit is distinguished by being slightly soft and starting to bend at the neck. Note that fresh figs do not store well and can only be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Pruning

As a general rule, prune out the centre of the tree to let light and air in. Remove any suckers growing from the base of the tree.

Remove any secondary branches (branches that are growing off the main branches) that are growing at less than a 45-degree angle from the main branches. This step is taken to remove any branches that may eventually grow too close to the main trunk.

Cut back the main branches by 1/3 to 1/4. This step in fig tree pruning helps the tree put more energy towards the fruit that will be produced next year, which makes for larger and sweeter fruit.

Too many figs?

You will find lots of friends if you have a bumper crop of figs! However, you might like to preserve some.

Spiced figs

3kg figs
1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
4 cups sugar
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
8 whole cloves
4 bay leaves, broken in two
8 slices of fresh ginger

In a preserving pan bring to the boil all the above ingredients.

Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes.

Pour into sterilised jars and refrigerate.

These figs go well with cold meat but can be served as a dessert with whipped cream cheese or crème fraîche.