Growing a fig tree in a city garden

[PinkCamelias]

Do you have fig trees in small gardens? Is it necessary/advised to restrict the roots? I don’t think I like the look of a wall trained fig much, I’d prefer an actual tree. I’d like it for fruit, of course, but also because they’re beautiful. My concerns are that fig trees grow wide and take a lot of space, so I’m still trying to decide if it would be the right choice.

I am hoping that mine grow to be as magnificent as @Windywuss 's tree!

Mine was in a pot for about 5 years. About 10 years ago I planted it in the ground. In recent years we’ve had a handful of figs. This year with the weather we’ve had about 100! Fabulous! I love mine ❤️

They have very invasive wide spreading roots that can cause issues with plumbing, drains or foundations. I would be very concerned if my neighbours planted one anywhere near my boundary.

They can get absolutely enormous so I'd be a bit wary of where I planted one in the ground - even though you can prune them back hard - there's only so long that will work for.

I read something yesterday about fig trees yesterday that was really worthwhile https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/how-to-grow/how-to-grow-fig-trees/?recomm_id=c97fbcf3-f5d9-4cf6-a347-3d73c83038c8 - behind a paywall but you might get a free few articles.

He suggests growing in pots but using cheapish plastic ones with the bottom cut out untill you reach the final side and that keeps them restricted in size but makes it easier to water and feed them.

I'm in the north west and have had a tree in a pot for about 15 years, outside all year round - I rarely get figs - but I was looking at it today and I've neglected it a bit, it needs a good prune and a feed.

My dad has a mature fig tree and it’s as big as his house, it’s amazing and must be quite old. Hot summers like this one he has hundreds of figs, more than he can eat. It’s planted in the ground, in a sheltered south facing spot, no idea if the roots are restricted as obviously it was already there when he moved in. The roots don’t seem to have caused any issues though and it’s very close to the house.

All this to say yes they can grow enormous. If your garden is small I’d either get one of the dwarf varieties or maybe grow it in a pot which will limit growth.

Full sun, in a pot, feed and water well, and remove the July fruit buds. Most varieties form fruit twice a year. In the UK only the ones that form in November/Decmber will ripen; the summer ones take energy from the plant and don't give you anything in return.

as much sun/heat as possible if you want it to fruit.

I'm in a similar position - NDN has a couple planted next to the boundary fence. I've read the comments about the root system with alarm because next door's are fairly mature and rather big, although they do get cut back frequently to keep them in check. They are next to our side return so the side window of the kitchen view is of fig, fig and more fig... They have not been fed and watered and have roughly a thousand figs on them, I did thin them out earlier this year on my side but it hasn't made a lot of difference.

Fortunately I do like figs, which are a superfood with lots of vitamins and minerals, I picked one today while I was gardening (ate it as it was but they're lovely chopped up with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey), I love the smell of the leaves in the sunshine which reminds me of foreign holidays. But by gum they like to grow...

My absolute favourite fruit. I’m very jealous.

My summer figs ripened! They were delicious, still warm from the tree.

Oh, ignore me. You mean the new buds that come in summer.

Thanks for the tip, I’ll lop them off.

Mine is in a pot in the ground. It’s one of those trugs. It’s very happy.
It didn’t fruit well until it cleared the wall- I was trying to keep it small but it preferred to shoot up above the wall and fruit there instead. I don’t get enough sun below the wall.

So be aware of position and light.

Yes, the tiny ones that are just starting to form pea-sized lumps in July.

We have a fig tree which has grown from a 2 foot high plant. I’ve lost track of how many figs we have had so far this year but it must be around 500. The neighbours run away when they see us coming with another offering😂 and we have enough chutney, bottled figs etc to supply Waitrose.

Mine is in a small brick planter against a north facing wall in a small walled courtyard, currently about 3m high and seems to thrive on neglect. It is heavy with figs (which none of us like). Every few years I hard prune it and it grows back bigger and better every time.

@myplace a plastic trug? How big is it? And how far from the wall is your tree planted?
@Scampuss does your planter have a bottom, or are the roots restricted by it on the sides but can reach down?

How does it work when a fig tree is planted in the garden but with restricted roots - do you need to water it?

That’s sounds amazing @NellieJean!

Ours is in a pot. All the neighbours have them in the gardens here (I think they must have been v popular some years ago).

I wouldn’t grow it directly in the soil. Ours is in a thick terracotta pot and the roots have managed to break through the bottom to try and escape!

Beware of pruning a large fig tree. My husband trimmed ours in the garden in Spain, he was wearing only shorts, and ended up with a dreadful rash everywhere except his shorts area which lasted a few days and was very painful.

North East here and we have a brown turkey trained on a sunny west facing wall. This is year 4 and we’ve got loads of figs. The Roman Empress thing is a thing . I also put some in the dehydrator to keep for Christmas. It does grow like topsy but we just give it a hard prune.

Oooh yes to the evil sap as well, wear gloves and long sleeves

Can you see the trug sticking up? I don’t water, they like Turkey, grow in rocky places. It seems ok. There’s a plum in front making it hard to see the fig. It’s the taller one at the back!

The planter was built directly on top of concrete. I think it used to be a small water feature so it's got no drainage holes, but the fig doesn't care!

They grow much better with restricted roots.

I've heard you can get dwarf varieties like 'Little Miss Figgy', though I'd be interested to know what the fruit tastes like.

Also, very intrigued by the culinary uses for the leaves - apparently they taste like coconut (I do love the smell)! (can be used to wrap fish/meat when baking, or steep milk to make ice cream, etc)

Little Miss Figgy is a sport of Violette de Bordeaux so should taste great. I’ve got two but they’re still babies and not fruited yet. It’s got really pretty leaves though.