Fig plant

[Dee Sa]

I have bought a small fig plant, its outdoors and growing well, how do I look after it during the winter ? any help appreciated.

[WendyS]

Is your fig plant in a container or planted in the ground?

I find they are normally reasonably hardy and can survive the frost. However, if it's in a container the roots won't be as protected as they are above the ground if we have a period of sustained frost so I suggest you move the container nearer the house if possible to afford a degree of protection. Keep the roots reasonably dry. If you're in an exposed situation you can always cover it with agricultural fleece to protect it during really freezings bouts of weather.

[Dee Sa]

Tks for your help WendyS, yes its in a big container & can be moved nearer to the house and I was thinking of putting the webbing round in Dec.
Can I expect any fruit next year and I was told that you have to leave the fruit alone for months, is this true ? I am very keen to keep this plant but dont know much about gardening, so welcome any advice.

[WendyS]

Am not much of a fig expert. I bought my little fig tree (also kept in a patio container) 2 years ago. This year it has about 8 figs on it, all about the size of small walnuts, but I don't think they will ripen or mature before autumn sets in and they will probably just rot and drop off. It's a purple skinned fig (according to the label which I've now lost) rather than a Brown Turkey, which I gather is the usual one grown in the UK.
Lots of people do have fig trees in this country but I don't know whether the figs really ripen in this climate. I suspect it's a rather hit and miss affair.
If you try Googling "growing figs in the UK" you might get some more detailed info. I think I ought to follow my own advice and do this too !