Planting Fig Trees in My Vegetable Greenhouse
Fresh, organic, sweet figs will soon be ripening in my vegetable greenhouse.
Figs, Ficus carica, are members of the mulberry family and are indigenous to Asiatic Turkey, northern India, and warm Mediterranean climates, where they thrive in full sun. Yesterday, my gardeners planted five of my fig trees in the vegetable greenhouse where they can live all year long in a controlled setting. If you enjoy growing an unusual fruit crop that’s delicious and nearly trouble free, consider figs. Figs will grow well unprotected in zones 8 to 10, and also in colder areas if given good care and proper winter protection.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Before the figs are planted, Brian cleans the bed and pulls out any last remaining crops and and weeds. This vegetable greenhouse is a special greenhouse I had constructed several years ago that was inspired by Eliot Coleman, an expert in four-season farming. I constructed 16 wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length and width of the space. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
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- The beds are already filled with good, nutrient-rich soil and compost, but to keep it at its best, Ryan also amends the soil in this box with a treatment of dolomitic pelletized limestone – a natural mineral which neutralizes acid and toxic elements, improves soil structure, promotes healthy bacteria, and enhances nutrient availability and disease resistance.
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- Dolomitic pelletized limestone comes in a finely ground pulverized form inside an organic binder pellet.
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- Here, Brian and Ryan move five fig trees into the greenhouse. This fig tree is planted in one of my Martha Stewart Round False Bottom Planters. Find two sizes – 12-inch round and 17-inch round – available through my new web site Martha.com. Be sure to check it out.
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- The fig tree has been sought out and cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world, both for its fruit and as an ornamental plant. Most fig tree leaves are bright green, large, singular, and well-lobed.
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- Ryan lines up the five fig trees in the bed and makes sure they are all evenly spaced. Fig trees need full sun to partial shade – a minimum of seven to eight hours of sun exposure is best. They also like soil with good drainage – this greenhouse will be just perfect.
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- Next, using a serrated edged knife, Brian carefully loosens the root ball from its pot. This is one of my Faux Bois planters, also available in different sizes through Martha.com.
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- Here is the fig tree root ball completely freed from its pot and ready for planting.
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- Brian digs a proper hole for the fig tree that is two to three times the size of the root ball.
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- Next, he places the tree into the hole to see if it is the right size. It must be as deep as it was in the original pot – planting a tree too deep can kill it.
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- To help the roots get established, Brian scarifies them. Scarifying stimulates root growth. Essentially, he breaks up small portions of the root ball to loosen the roots a bit and create some beneficial injuries. This helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment.
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- Brian places the tree back into the hole – now it is just right. He makes sure it is straight and turned with its best side facing toward the center of the greenhouse.
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- And then finally, Brian backfills the hole and tamps the soil down lightly to ensure there are no air pockets.
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- Here he is backfilling another hole and stopping for a quick photo.
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- Once all five specimens are planted, Brian rakes the bed so the soil is level and tidy.
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- Fig ‘GE Neri’ is known as one of the largest fruiting figs, with fruit the size of a tennis ball. This rare Italian fig tree variety has one crop of fruit a year that starts ripening in late summer and continues through early fall. The figs are crimson on the outside with reddish inner flesh that’s very sweet.
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- Fig ‘Letezia’ is family heirloom fig, named after plantsman Steve Castorani’s mother, Letizia. It is a rare Italian fig that’s hardy to zone 6. It makes a nice ornamental shrub since it’s well branched with large leaves when mature. The medium-sized fruit has light brown skin and delicious, honey-colored inner flesh.
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- Ficus carica ‘Brunswick’ is an attractive, self-fertile and heavy cropping fig. It is very hardy, and quite popular for growing.
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- ‘Brunswick’ produces pear-shaped skinned fruits with a sweet flavor and yellow-red flesh. These need more time to ripen.
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- This leaf is from a ‘Chicago Hardy’ fig. A healthy “Chicago Hardy’ can produce bushels of plump, delicious figs that are perfect for peeling and eating right off the tree in late summer to early fall. It has large dark green leaves that are four to 10 inches long.
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- Fig ‘Petite Negra’ is another amazing fruiting variety with large, dark green leaves.
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- It produces medium-sized plump black juicy figs at a young age. An important tip – never pick figs that are still green; always let them ripen fully on the tree before picking as they do not ripen any more once harvested.
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- These trees will do so well here in my vegetable greenhouse. And with good care and a bit of time, these trees will produce lots and lots of delicious sweet fruits. I can’t wait. What are your favorite fig varieties? Share your comments with me below.
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