Timmy
I was thinking the same lineand talked to the extension people. They advised me against it. One lady at the extension told me just imagine you function well by sleeping 8 hours every night how about if some one wakes you in the middle of the night and you could sleep only 4 hours. You will be sluggish and unproductive. I obliged.

The thing is, it seems like most figs are growing in warmer environments where they have much shorter dormancy periods, and I'm wondering if mine just aren't getting a long enough growing period, or could benefit from a longer one by giving them a head start.

You can jump start them yes but timeing that is important to waking them up not to early before outdoor temps are friendly.
You have them just coming out of dormancy without leaves when outdoor temps allow to bring outside for good since there coming out of a house and not real cold storage.

You gain the time it takes normally when you would bring them outside fully dormant and wait for them to wake up which can be 2 weeks or more.
Bringing them outdoors with leaves not used to sun will only stall them or burn the leaves and set the plant back to square 1.
Its best to time them when buds are green and swelling and temps allow them to stay outdoors in your case.

As a note i jump start mine each season but there stored in much colder garage some in 3, 5 and up to 30 gallon containers and have seen storage temps down as low as 6 to 8 degrees , by wheeling them in and out of garage onto driveway and back in at night as temps get too cold and they wake up a little faster for me getting more light and warmth to the containers.
Martin

Martin
while you are breaking the dormacy that way you are doing do you give any water?
thanks
Abe

Yes but very little still at this point.
Martin
Member- Garden Web, Figs4Fun, Friends of The Fig Society