HAHA...Neat Caz

I really like that crescent moon.(brings back old memory's)

Cecil

As refer to my experience,(I live in north Italy).
Protection are important for young plants in firsts years, OVERALL for underground roots.
Protections (in the air) have to be removed early, because quite cold without protection conserves plants "sleeping".
Not "sleeping" plants are subject to late frosts damage more than sleeping ones.
If outground part over ground dies is not a big problem in first years. In further years the plant become more cold hardy.
For protect roots (and HOWEVER):
1) Plant have to be planted where do not stay water (moisture) e.g. in a slope.
2) Cover the grond, in winter, all round the plant by a layer e.g. of leaves or straw.
3) prefere, in summer, (when others plants have leaves) the sunniest dry site.
4) do not exceed in manure in summer: (manure= more green growing=wood full of water=more sensibility to frosts).

About your (I suppose) cold greenhouse; pot ambient is always TERRIBLE, overall for cold (but also for hot and dry), I haven't experience about yur winter temperature BUT under few inches of the soil, in a field, temp. is higher however than the air one. Plants can be conserved in pot but buried in the ground, if the groud is a little bit wet but not full of water is the best protection possible.
Every point have its explanation.

One question: your plants (outside in your climate) conserve its top buds through winter?

good your ground covering!, and your technical greenhouse.
Sergio

What type of fig trees do you have?

Luigi,
Planted in the ground, i have Doozy, LSU Gold, Celeste, Brown Turkey and a Serbian fig.
Potted, i have Violette Bordeaux, LSU Gold, Sals, Ronde Bordeaux, Serbian, Kathleen Black, Doozy,Hardy Chicago, and Marseilles Black.
After a couple years of hardening off to the cold, i plan on putting all my figs inground, without winter protection.
Then the ones that survive my Zone 7 winters without much die-back and produce figs i like will be my keepers. The rest i will toss : )

Cazimere,

I'm reviving this old thread because I also live in Maryland and am also growing several varieties in containers until I figure out which is best. Then those will go into the 2-3 in-ground spaces I have left in my yard. So I am curious which ones you eventually decided to keep.

Steve

Steve,
I kept Sals, Lsu Gold, Violette Du Bordeaux and a new to me variety, i found growing in Ocean City and was given cuttings by the Italian owner who called it Ambrosia. Ambrosia is a green fig that is my favorite of all : )

Thanks Cazimere, this is useful information. Have you ever posted the leaves and fruit of Ambrosia on this forum or figs4fun to see if it can be identified? I'm also growing an unknown green fig (highly touted by the original owner) and am hoping to get fruit for the first time this year.

I'm not a big believer in identifying figs by pictures. There are just way too many varieties out there that look so much alike, that it is mostly guesswork. No offense intended to anyone. JMHO