|
Mon, Dec 8, 08 at 13:50
| Can I get help selecting a cold weather fig tree. I am in Frostburg,Maryland.This is in the mountains,at approx 2000 feet. Our winters can be cold and snowy. Three varieties that have been mentioned is Brown Turkey, Celest and Hardy Chicage. The Figs could be planted on the south side of large blue spruce trees that could give some protection.
Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Violet De Bordeaux is very early ripening but I don't know if its all that hardy. Desert King is tough but the fruit is prone to souring in a damp summer. I would contact Michael McConkey at Edible Landscape in Virginia for some good ideas. He grows a lot of varieties for northern growers. |
|
- Posted by btropical256 7a Philadelphia PA (elementboards748@verizon.net) on Mon, Dec 8, 08 at 17:54
| Well i dont know how much cooler it gets by you, however i grow golden celeste, italian honey fig here and do really well and last year i was unable to protect the italian honey fig and to my surprise it had little dieback and still pushed some brebas as well as a big main crop, The golden celeste i have is probably hardier, even as its tarps blew off last year and the whole top went bare and only the tips got damaged. they both are about 6-8 feet tall this fall. Hope this helps somewhat, We hit low temperatures as 5 degrees usually at one point and common to have temps in the teens. in between cold spells. |
|
- Posted by scottfsmith 6B/7A MD (My Page) on Mon, Dec 8, 08 at 23:13
| I think you will need to cover your figs or grow them in pots and bring them in, it gets pretty cold there. I am in Baltimore and I tried minimal or no covering and they always had to grow back form the roots. Many varieties are hardy enough if you cover them (and if you bring them in you can grow any fig). The ones you mention are all good. Violette de Bordeaux is not as hardy but it has done fine for me covered. Scott |
|
- Posted by thunderduck (My Page) on Fri, Dec 12, 08 at 19:48
| I'm just outside Hagerstown and have a Hardy Chicago from Raintree that does really well in the ground on the SW side of my house. I covered it for the first three years and it's now about 7 feet tall. I'm not going to cover it this year. I have a fig from Home Depot that I planted at the corner of my house in 2006. It's supposed to be a Celeste but I'm pretty certain it's anything but a Celeste. I've never covered the thing and cold doesn't seem to affect it at all. For all I know, Home Depot dug it out of the arctic tundra and trucked it to their store. All of it's hardy traits are a cruel joke - it doesn't taste nearly as good as the HC. I secretly wish it would die, but I keep it around to see just how much abuse it can take. I recommend an HC, but don't get it from a big box store. |
|
| I have a Italian Alma/Honey that does great... so far unprotected at 5 F one year and 11F last year. This year been down to 9F. I have a brown turkey that did fine to 11, but froze to near ground at 5F. I have some sort of Black Mission (so I was told) that has done fine at those temps. |
|
| You might ask which figs do well in containers. I know some trees are pretty small growing. Desert King is a Giant tree here. With all the cheap tarps being sold now, I think you could pretty easily cover a tree with one, if it was under 12 feet tall. A bother, but at least you will get through the winter there. My 'Italian Honey Fig' is a small tree, as is Violet De Bordeaux. |
|
| Spectrum, More or less, ALL figs (Ficus carica) have the same The difference is not THAT big... Two falls ago, I was in GreekTown Baltimore MD, and I have |
|
| In general, any location with a USDA Zone 8 or warmer, it is considered safe to-not-winter-protect the figs. For zones 7 or colder, it is advised to (somehow) winter GT, MD is zone 7!!!??? (must be the water...). |
|
| Spectrum20008 you are in luck. I live in Morgantown Wv and have about 100 ficus caria varieties. Come on by and I will save you a lot of time and money. Vinnie |
|
| Hey Vinnie thats a very nice offer to Spectrum in trying to help. People helping each other we need more of that in this world. Best Health Martin |
|
| There are some massive fig trees in Baltimore that are certainly unprotected. Fruit well too. I will have to get a picture in. -Werner J Stiegler www.binghamtonmemorialtree.webs.com |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Fig Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.