Plant Profiles: Figs

Our fig tree - looking a bit autumnal in the garden
Our fig tree ('Brown Turkey') - it's starting to look a little autumnal in the garden. 

The weather's finally turned chilly this week, so we're facing proper autumn at last. It's a shame because I'd half-hoped my fig tree's second crop of the year would have time to ripen for once. In my heart I knew it's only a dream, but if I could move my ginormous tree inside for protection I'd increase my chances greatly.

As you can see that's not going to happen, would you believe that whole tree is housed in a pot two feet wide and three feet tall? It proves the guidance on root restriction really does help fig trees to thrive, but alas it's destroyed my chance of enjoying their main crop of the year. It's said they taste even better than the over-wintered breba crop.

The fruit form on the season's new growth, which means it's time to take my tree in hand as much of that was out of reach this year, much to the delight of the local squirrels. I also managed a superb crop of ground touching fruit, so somewhere in the garden there are some very happy slugs and snails who got to most of the hidden treasure before I did.

Despite that, it's been a bumper year for figs, which allowed me to play around with some different recipes for my produce for a change. I usually only have enough to indulge my late summer breakfast treat of fresh figs with organic Greek-style yoghurt. Here's what I've been having instead...


A quick recipe - fig jam


Yummy fig jam
I've adapted my recipe for rhubarb and ginger jam to make one of the most delicious jams I've ever tasted. As figs are sweet, I used half the weight of sugar to that of the fruit, just the fresh ginger to give the jam a gentle kick, plus the juice of 1 lemon to help with the set as figs are low in pectin. 

The result is fairly sloppy, so it should be eaten up within a couple of months. That shouldn't be a problem as this jam really is that good.

You may also like to try my recipe for Figgy Cheese Tart - another match made in heaven.


Cultivation notes


fig leaf
You may need some patience before your fig tree bears fruit. I bought mine in 2008 and it didn't really get going - growth and fruit-wise - until around 3 years ago. I'm growing mine by next door's west facing garage wall which provides plenty of the warmth needed for growing outside. You may prefer to grow yours in a conservatory or greenhouse and I really should cover my outdoor fig with fleece when severe frost threatens.

It's time to pick off this season's fruit as they won't ripen - watch out for the plant's milky sap when you do this, as it can irritate the skin. I can already see some pea-like embryonic fruit which will form next year's crop. I've found I need to ensure these get plenty of water if there's a dry spell in the spring/early summer, otherwise they fall off and I stand to lose around 50% of them.

Immature figs
Immature fruit
Figs are a fascinating plant - the flowers are never seen as they're encased within the fruit. You may have read that the flowers are fertilised by a wasp, which enters the fruit via the 'eye' at the base. This doesn't happen with UK-grown cultivars and the plants are said to be parthenocarpic i.e. producing fruit without the need for the fertilisation of the flowers first.

It's easy to tell when figs are ripe. They soften and change colour to brown or black, plus they start to droop via their 'neck' which attaches them to the stem. There may also be a droplet of sugar exuding from the fruit's eye. I've found this usually attracts the attention of the local ant population when it happens, and it's often helped me to find some fruit I might otherwise have missed. 

Scale insect on fig tree branch
My fig's been relatively pest-free so far, but I've noticed lately some of the branches have scale insects. I need to give my tree a renovation prune, so I'll inspect the remaining branches and squish any of them I find. This pruning means I stand to lose most - if not all - of next year's crop.

You may also like:
  • The RHS's guidance on growing figs and recommended cultivars for the UK. Note that figs only fruit reliably in southern England. However, they're still a wonderful plant to consider for elsewhere in the UK, particularly if you're looking for an exotic touch to your garden 
  • Reads Nursery's page on fig facts and lore
  • Steven Frank's scientific paper on the behaviour and morphology of fig wasps (NB pdf file)
  • Hortscience's overview - lots of history, biology, breeding and production information
  • The RHS's guide to fan trained pruning - great for growing a fig tree in a tighter spot. Thanks to Brian's comment for the reminder (BTW you should check out his great blog)

Latin without tears


The latin name for the edible fig is Ficus carica; Ficus is the actual ancient latin name for fig and carica refers to Caria, an ancient region of south-western Turkey, where it's a native plant. 

The edible fig hails from ancient Persia, where it formed one of the earliest (if not the earliest) cultivated plants. Evidence of cultivation dates back to 9400 BC, and it pre-dates the cultivation of wheat by around 1,000 years.



Plant Profiles is sponsored by Whitehall Garden Centre. 

Note to readers: sponsorship goes towards my blogging costs, the words are my own. There are no affiliate links or cookies associated with this post.

Comments

  1. CJ14 October 2015 at 09:57

    Lovely to see your fig tree. I have a big crop of not-yet-ripe figs as well that I need to remove.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP15 October 2015 at 16:31

      Thanks CJ - I've seen quite a few fig trees due for fruit removal this week.

      Delete
  2. Brian Skeys14 October 2015 at 10:01

    I do like fresh figs. I wish I had planted one here when we laid out the garden, there doesn't seem to be any room for one now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP15 October 2015 at 16:42

      Thanks for the reminder to add a link to fan training trees, Brian!

      Delete
  3. Flighty14 October 2015 at 14:47

    As you know I'm Tree Following a fig this year so found this post of interest. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP15 October 2015 at 16:43

      Thanks Flighty and congratulations on reaching your 1,000th post :)

      Delete
  4. Janet/Plantaliscious14 October 2015 at 20:48

    That's a rather splendid plant! I keep toying with the idea of growing one in our sheltered back garden, and at least if I grow one in a pot I can move it when we finally have the dosh to replace the patio with something less 70's (it is pink and grey chequerboard concrete slabs...)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP15 October 2015 at 16:44

      You need to have a chat to Karen, Janet. She has (or had?) one in her garden at Dyffryn, so will be able to advise on whether it's viable for you on Anglesey.

      Delete
  5. Bonnie in California10 August 2022 at 21:44

    I was 45 before I planted my first fig tree in our yard. It is an Italian honey fig. I had just moved to California from Alaska with my husband and two teen daughters. I was so excited to plant fruit trees in our near 1/4 acre backyard. Our fig was a great success. I’ve shared hundreds of figs from that tree with friends, family and coworkers. Soon after we got the fig tree I learned how easy it is to clone it. (In spring, cut 12 inches from a healthy, leafless branch, dip in root hormone, plunge a shovel handle into a pot of planting soil to create a tunnel for the root, carefully insert the root so as not to brush off rooting hormone, and gently backfill with potting soil.— I found this method works for grapevines also.) I propagated two fig branches last spring in this manner and 8 months later they have sprouted vigorously. One clone is sporting three juicy looking figs! I read that figs do not need to be grafted onto rootstock, so once you are certain your fig baby has developed a strong root system you can plant it into a larger pot for a year or two to gain more roots and strength before planting in a permanent location, if desired. I gifted a fig cloned five years ago in this manner to a friend and last year he boasted a harvest of 50 figs from his fig tree that has languished in a five gallon nursery pot. If you try this, please do read up on fig tree care and preferred soil as I am not an authority on such things. You will want to know how to give your clone your very best effort in order to successfully grow a healthy fig tree.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl...
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape...
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing ...
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the...
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee...
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi...
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso...
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter, ...
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener...
Read more