Fig tree in allotment

[LivelyBlake]

I am thinking of planting a fig 'brown turkey' tree in my allotment.

The seller's advice is to plant it against a south facing wall or fence. The only wall I have is the shed's and there's no room for it there. Should I put up a low fence panel or trellis and plan the tree on the south facing side?

Not sure how important the wall/fence is. Maybe for wind protection? if anyone has any advice, I'd be grateful!

I have one in a large pot in my back garden. In the south east. It's in a south east facing corner but not directly against a wall. It does really well and I flippin love its leaves. Gorgeous plant.

A wall stores and radiates heat - a fence won't do the same job. Whether the fig will do anything without one depends on where you are.

Thank you both.

I'm in the south east of England but the area is considered a "frost pocket"... so it sounds like a wall might be needed if I want to get fruit

I get fruit from one planted against a low (0.5m) wall, but otherwise in the open. Tree is 2.5m high. Yorkshire.

The one which is nearer the house wall (2m away) has more fruit. But it is a bigger tree.

I live on the south coast and my fig tree is planted against a south facing wall. Most years we are lucky to get a couple of ripe figs. It's a lovely tree, but if we didn't have a massive garden and I wasn't a hopeless optimist I'd get rid of it as a waste of space.

Our neighbours have one in their front garden. It’s against a wall, south facing. But it’s too built up around it, and so it’s only the figs at the top of the tree that ripen. And it’s absolutely massive too.

It needs shelter and warmth. If you're growing it because you love growing and can wait for fruit go for it. But until they are massive you're not going to get a reliable crop, can take 10 years

The large tree gets 150 or so figs, the small one adds another 30 or so.

Thanks all. Back to the drawing board I think!

Not so fast, Blake! Step away from that drawing board.

I grow a Brown Turkey on my allotment. It's free-standing, planted in a sunken bottomless half-barrel to contain the roots. I bought it as a 5' sapling and it's in its 4th year in the ground. It sets fruit and some ripen; this year I had 5 large, juicy figs (some dropped off in the heat in June after I forgot to water it) and it was definitely worth the wait.

I'm in the Midlands. I think my brown turkey tree is about 14 years old, and is right bang in the middle of the allotment near no fences or walls. It produces about 40-50 ripe figs a year

I think you can just plant it anywhere

Ooh interesting! This sounds more promising @Thehonestybox @EveSix