I need some help/advice. The only thing i have ever planted are vegetable plants. last spring a co-work gave me a fig tree cutting. Tt was about 6 inches high and had no leaves on it. i repotted it into a five gallon container and gave it a shot of MG fertilizer for tomatoes as that is the only fertilizer I had. It gree very well and i got some very small figs on it but that ws it.My friend told me to expect that and that i would get figs next year. He told me wait until the leaves fell off (I live in upstate New York and my first frost date is around Sept 15th. He said to put the container in my garage away from light which i did and to water it about once a month which i did. This spring i put the container out and gave it the same fertilizer. I am in zone 6b and my last frost date is May 15th. At first nothing seemed to happen. he advised me to check all the branches and to cut a little off the top of each one. if the wood was brown to keep cutting until i reached green which i did and all of a sudden the thing took off. It got so big that I decideed to put it into a 10 gallon container. before long the tree was filled with green figs. in all there are now about 2 and a half dozen very large figs on the plant. I checkeda few website and determined that the figs i had were called Conadria because of their light green color. I also noticed that the figs were very hard and this was now into August. I spoke with someone from Willis Oorchard who told me that the figs should ripen before my last frost date. I also found out that they grow bst in zone 8 and above.
two weeks ago I noticed two of the figs were turning a purple color. that week were were hit with heavy rains and when it stopped two of the figs were nice and soft so I picked them and they were very sweet however the rest ofthe figs are still hard and some are starting to turn purple.

Is there a chance that the figs will ripen before i get my first frost?? what type of fertilizer should I be using and how much and how often.

I know that when my tomaotes do not ripen in time i put them in a brown paper bag in a dark closet and they will turn red. Will the ame thing happen with figs??

I forgot to mention that i plantedthe tree in MG potting soil for containers.

Thanks

Brown Turkey is a middle season cultivar,so in top of being young too,it just doesn't have the energy to ripe the fruits fast enough for our short season,this year.
When older it will ripe much better,if container have the right nutrients,to create early embryos.
It is aether the above explanation,or the plant is not Brown Turkey but a cauducous fig that need pollination.

Nelson,
Where are you in NY? I am on Long Island. I have had a similar problem in the past. Now that our tree is older (wrapped for 3 winters so far)it is producing much better.

I had questions about figs not going to mature this year and I was told by this forum to clip the growing tips and see what happens. We harvested 15 beauties today. We have had figs now for 2 weeks. They are really coming in now. They seem to ripen overnight. We will probably get 10 more tommorrow.

Like I said we picked 15 just today. (the tree is about 6 feet tall) I don't think we had 15 from the tree total in the last 3 years. Seems that the above posters comment about things getting better as the tree ages is dead on.

I do not fertilize my tree. I apply slow release lime pellets generously about every other month.

I'm in Westchester and so far have had an abysmal harvest this year in NY. I'm not sure what type they are but one tree had a lot of fruits explode when the rains hit and another is covered with fruits that are just like Nelson's, 3/4" and hard as rocks. These are both brown figs on potted trees that are about 5ft' tall. Kind of a disappointment after all the work I did last year repotting and babying them along all year with fertilizer, pinching, everything.

My third tree is about 7-8' tall and is producing about 1 doz ripe green figs but that's all.

herbue43:

The best advice that I can give you is to search this forum. That's what I did when I grew figs for the first time, back in 2007. All the information you need, and all the answers to your questions will be found posted by other members who faced the same "problems". Use the "search" option.

A good starting point would be to check postings for: growing containerized figs. Another,....Herman's directions for pinching-back new growth ... (this helps figs ripen sooner in short-season areas). All your questions and answers are here. Forget books....this IS the place for information!

You didn't mention if your garage is unheated. We need to know this, to better answer your questions. I assume your tree came out of the overwintering treatment OK. I think your young tree has produced a lot of new growth, and produced fruit too late to ripen in your short season. Check this forum for pinching-out terminal buds. This controls new growth, and sets fruit earlier. Are you growing in full sun, shade,...are you keeping the tree watered properly??? Try to really nail down just what fig variety you're growing. If it turns out to be a fig variety that doesn't do well in short season areas, you may always have problems ripening fruit before the onset of cooler weather. Don't be discouraged....you'll find the right balance.

Your vegetable-growing experiences will help you grow your new fig tree once you get some specific directions from this forum. You'll be eating figs next season.

Hope this helps. good luck.

Frank

since my last post i have had about 6 very large figs mature and they were delicious to eat. i am pinching off any new growth and it seems to be working but nxt year i will haveto put my plant out sooner than i did this year. thanks for everones help.

frank

I have a Brown Turkey. Bought it in FL two winters ago and it sulked but when moved into a big pot and given slow release fertilizer it has smiled and is producing lovely figs now, 1 or 2 a day BUT the nights have now turned colder and I fear the many green figs won't ripen.

Should I bag them to ripen faster as someone asked?

Bronx figs - sorry for not answering sooner. my garage is unheated. i started pinching back a few weeks ago andalso began emoving smaller figs that would never mature in time and i was able to get about 5 more figs to mature and they were great tasting. i wish i knew how to post pictures so i can show you the figs and the tree itself in the 10 gallon container.

See if you can redirect us to a website you have and share the pics from there.
I'd be interested in seeing them as well.

i am trying to get photos poste here to show you what is going on with my fig tree. first, can anyone tell me what kind of fig tree this is?? also, it is two years old and it's in a 10 gallon container. last year at this time the leves were all off and it was in my unheated garage. as you can see the leaves are still on it. what should i do. i triedto post 3 photos but i am not sure if i am doing it right. if all three arent on this post i will post again with the other photos

thanks

Here is a link that might be useful:

i am not very computer literate and i hope this is right. i posted my photos on photo bucket and i think this is what you are asking for.

{{gwi:824148}}

there should have been 3 photos so i will try to post onewith a photo of the mature fig on it

i hope this works. this is a picture of the mature fig i picked yesterday. it was very sweet
{{gwi:824148}}

as you can see it didn't work. i will try again

lets see if this works
{{gwi:824149}}

i cannot belive i finally got his posted. i am still working on how to post more than one picture at a time but i will get it before long.

with the two photos i posted can anyone tell me exactly what kind of fig this is.

herbue:
Did you say that you are going to be moving to Rutland, MA?
I live in Worcester, MA on the border with Holden.

My little fig plant is only 10 inches high with four leaves on it and probably done growing for this season, but i'd be interested in chatting with you more about your fig tree.

Tommyg

Here is a link that might be useful: my fig tree and more

tommy - i sent you an e-mail a few days ago.