Growing Ideas

Growing A Fig Tree In The Greenhouse

Grow Your Figs

If you have never had the pleasure of eating a fresh organic sweet fig straight off the tree you need to make this a reality.  With a Sunglo Greenhouse Kit, you can grow your own figs!  

Penache Tiger Stripe Photo by Homstead-and-chill

Fig Tree

Figs are also known as Ficus carica and are members of the mulberry family.  Figs typically are grown in Asia and Mediterranean climates.   They do best in zones 8 -10 as they don’t appreciate cold and windy winters, but with a Sunglo Greenhouse, you can successfully overwinter them (keeping greenhouse temperature above 28F). 

Planted Fig Inside Greenhouse

Fig trees are easy to grow and can be planted directly into a garden bed inside the greenhouse or into containers that can be moved out seasonally.  Those planted in containers will tend to have more restricted growth.  They are not finicky and have few pest problems.  When growing figs they prefer full sun, a good supply of water, and neutral pH soil supplying a balanced fertilizer.  Figs are mostly self-fertile so do not require pollinators to produce fruit.

Violette De Bordeaux Fig
Photo By Homstead & Chill

Figs are deciduous and the leaves will turn yellow and drop in Autumn. Fig plants need to be pruned back in the winter which improves fruit production the following spring as fruiting happens on new growth.  Important to note that most fig trees will fruit twice a year, in spring & fall.  Young plants benefit from being pruned hard (50%) in their first year immediately after planting.  The nice thing about fig trees inside a greenhouse is they can be shaped and trained to fit the space with no worries about hurting the plant.  

Fig growing in a container
photo by New York Times

Suggested Varieties

There are hundreds of varieties to choose from but here are a few favorite varieties to grow:

Brown Turkey – It has large leaves and dark brownish-green to coppery-colored fruit that is three to four inches long. The figs are mild sweetness reminiscent of melon and honey, but less complex or intense than many other fig varieties and also plentiful if the plant gets enough water.

White Marseille – Introduced to America by Thomas Jefferson at his Monticello home in Virginia. The fruit can be green to yellow with whitish flesh. 

Black Mission – Variety with very dark, sweet fruit. It is best grown in hot, sunny greenhouses.

Panache Tiger Stripe- A unique, with green and pale yellow striped skin and dark red flesh. Once ripe, they boast a ripe strawberry and raspberry flavor.

Chicago Hardy, as its name implies, will do reasonably well when grown outdoors and can tolerate winter down to zone 5.  The flavor is light, sweet, and strawberry-like, described as “fruity berry”.

Sources for Fig Rootstock

There are plenty of options available online or better yet support & visit your locally owned Garden Center.

Raintree Nursery

One Green World

Burnt Ridge Nursery

Wilson Bros Garden

What are you waiting for?  Get started growing your own crop of figs and take your growing to a new level with a Sunglo Greenhouse Kit.   

To speak with a grower who has experience growing in a Sunglo Greenhouse call 720-443-6711.

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