Fig Culture: Helping You Grow a Fig Tree in a Cold Climate

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Can you grow a productive fig orchard in Scotland?

After tasting his first tree-ripened fig on a trip to Italy, Scott Horner returned home to Fife, Scotland, and embarked on an ambitious experiment: growing approximately 180 fig varieties in a cool maritime climate.

He soon discovered that winter hardiness zones don't tell the whole story. Scotland's mild winters don't make up for its cool summers and limited growing degree days.

In this episode of Fig Culture, Scott joins Steven Biggs to talk about his experimental orchard, the sheltered growing environments he's creating, and his unusual approach to preserving fig-tree growth instead of pruning it away.

They discuss Scottish polycrubs, microclimates, locally adapted fig trees, growing mixes made with crushed brick and granite, and planters constructed from whisky barrels.

It's a conversation about curiosity, experimentation, and finding ways to grow figs where the climate doesn't make it easy.

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What is it about figs that gets people collecting—and keeps them coming back for more?

Danny Gentile, founder of FigBid, grew up playing beneath his great-grandfather’s fig tree in the Bronx. Years later, a satellite image led him back to that backyard—and to cuttings of the family tree he thought he’d left behind.

In this episode of Fig Culture, Danny joins me to share that story and explain how his interest in figs grew into an online marketplace. We talk about the growers who helped bring fig collecting onto the internet, the importance of trust when buying plants and cuttings, and the friendships that grow around figs.

Danny also has practical advice for new collectors: build your skills alongside your collection. Before spending heavily on sought-after varieties, get some affordable cuttings, practise rooting, and pay attention to fig trees already growing near you.

In this episode:

• Recovering a family fig tree decades after leaving the neighbourhood
• The story behind FigBid and its 2017 launch
• Why collecting varieties and learning to grow them go hand in hand
• Finding practice material through local growers—with their permission
• Fig gatherings, friendships, and passing the interest on to children
• Danny’s favourite varieties, including Corinth, Sweet Diana, Ronde de Bordeaux, and Nero 600M

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Bob Duncan showed Canadian gardeners that the line between possible and impossible isn’t always where we think it is.

At Fruit Trees and More, the nursery and demonstration orchard he ran with his wife, Verna, on Vancouver Island, Bob grew figs, lemons, olives, yuzu, loquats, feijoas and many other fruits that gardeners might not expect to see growing in Canada.

Bob was also extraordinarily generous with his knowledge. I wrote about his work in my books about growing figs, lemons and olives—and turned to him many times with questions.

In this special tribute episode, I’ve gone back through recordings from my visits and conversations with Bob. Some were made while we walked through his garden; others come from longer interviews about citrus and unusual fruit.

You’ll hear Bob talk about:

• His enormous Meyer lemon tree, which produced more than 400 lemons annually
• Why keeping a citrus tree alive is different from bringing its fruit to harvest
• His focus on breba figs
• Growing olives on Vancouver Island
• Why yuzu is especially well suited to coastal British Columbia
• The danger of keeping container-grown citrus too wet
• The thinking that led him to try growing these unlikely fruits in the first place

Near the end of one of our conversations, Bob summed up his approach in five words:

“So I thought to myself, ‘Let’s try it.’”

Bob died on July 20, 2026. My condolences go to Verna, Bob’s family, and the many gardeners who learned from him. 

You can read more about Bob’s remarkable life—and find details of the August 24 celebration of life—in his obituary.

Get more fig-growing ideas between episodes. Sign up for the free Fig Culture newsletter for practical tips, seasonal notes, and news of upcoming fig events.
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Will Pananes grows large fig trees in the ground in south-central Pennsylvania—USDA Zone 6b, where unprotected fig trees can freeze back to the ground.

His solution is a homemade heat tube: an incandescent light bulb enclosed in metal pipe and placed inside the tree’s winter wrapping. The small amount of supplemental heat protects the trunk and branches during the coldest weather, giving the tree a head start the following spring and enough growing season to ripen a substantial crop.

In this conversation, Will talks about:

• Why he decided to grow figs in the ground 
• How his heat-tube idea developed 
• The burnt burlap that led him to enclose the bulb in metal 
• Pruning and gathering the branches before wrapping 
• Protecting trees of different sizes 
• Monitoring the bulb during the winter 
• The advantages of preserving mature wood in a cold climate 

This interview originally aired on The Food Garden Life Show in 2020. Will and I have corresponded for many years, and pictures of his trees and winter-protection system appear in the updoming revised edition of my book, Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t: Growing Figs in Cold Climates and Pots.

See pictures and a detailed explanation of Will’s system:
 PA Fig Grower Uses Heat Tubes to Overwinter Figs

The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter
The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall.
See the book and Fig Camp options.
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Most fig growers are focused on the fruit. Fair enough. 

But in this episode, we look at the rest of the fig tree: the leaves, sap, dried leaves, infused vinegars, tinctures, pantry blends, and even prunings.

Steven talks with Penelope Beaudrow, a registered herbalist at Richters Herbs, about figs from an herbalist’s point of view. They talk about fig leaf tea, the coconut-vanilla-green flavour of fig leaves, traditional uses of fig sap, figs as a fibre-rich food, and ways to dry and preserve fig leaves for later use.

For cold-climate fig growers, there’s also a useful shift in perspective: even if a fig dies back in winter, it can still be valuable as a leaf crop. Not every fig-growing story needs to end with a basket of ripe figs. Sometimes the leaves are the harvest. 

In this episode:

• Fig leaf tea and what it tastes like
• How herbalists think about leaves, tinctures, and vinegars
• Using fig leaves in the kitchen
• Drying fig leaves for winter
• Fig leaf salts, sugars, and spice blends
• Traditional uses of fig sap and why caution matters
• Fresh and dried figs as food
• Thinking of figs as a cold-climate leaf crop
• A short visit to the fig benches at Richters Herbs

Fig sap can irritate the skin in some people. And before using figs, fig leaves, or any plant medicinally, it’s always wise to consult a qualified health professional. 

Get more fig-growing ideas between episodes. Sign up for the free Fig Culture newsletter for practical tips, seasonal notes, and news of upcoming fig events.
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Fig collecting starts innocently enough. A tree for the yard. A cutting from a friend. Maybe a variety with a good story. Then, suddenly, there are shelves in the garage and rows of pots on drip irrigation.

In this episode, I’m joined by fig enthusiast Bobby Ghaheri of Oregon City, Oregon, known online as Figologist. Bobby grows a large collection of fig varieties in the Pacific Northwest, where ripening time, breba crops, microclimate, and sunlight all matter.

We talk about how a visit from Bobby’s fig-loving father helped start the collection, the Iranian family figs that became part of his story, and how the fig community pulled him deeper into the world of cuttings, trades, propagation, and variety trials.

Bobby also shares practical lessons for newer fig growers: why not every fig belongs in the ground, why breba crops deserve more respect, how he manages potted figs with drip irrigation, and why it pays to think two years ahead before turning your garage into a fig nursery.

In this episode:

• How Bobby went from a few family figs to 250-plus varieties
• Growing figs in the Pacific Northwest
• Why breba figs can be valuable in cool climates
• Choosing varieties that ripen in your conditions
• Potted figs, drip irrigation, and practical setup details
• Managing fungus gnats and other indoor propagation pests
• FigBid, FigFanatic, and the collector’s chase
• Why the fig community matters
• Bobby’s advice for new fig growers

Connect with Bobby:

• YouTube: @figologist
• FigFanatic.com handle: Figologist

Get more fig-growing ideas between episodes. Sign up for the free Fig Culture newsletter for practical tips, seasonal notes, and news of upcoming fig events.
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Texas fig enthusiast Eddie Sleem didn’t set out to grow figs indoors. It started with an Angelito fig tree, a Texas storm, and one plant that stayed inside while another went outdoors.

The indoor tree grew faster, set figs sooner, and launched Eddie into a full-blown indoor fig-growing experiment.

In this episode, Eddie talks about growing figs inside the house, with tips on grow lights, air circulation, watering, soil, and fertilizer. He explains why light and heat are so important, how indoor pests are different from outdoor pests, and why he thinks long-season fig varieties are especially exciting for indoor growing.

We talk about:

• Why a Texas fig grower started growing figs indoors
• Eddie’s first indoor Angelito fig
• Grow lights, side lighting, and light intensity
• Heat and how a few degrees can change ripening
• Soil aeration for potted indoor figs
• Fertilizing figs that are growing almost continuously
• Pest management indoors
• Watering actively growing container figs
• Choosing containers and managing space
• Grow tents, open rooms, and domestic negotiations
• Air movement, humidity, and air quality
• Eddie’s favourite varieties, including Black Madeira, Pakistan Mulberry, Angelito, and Cosme Mano
• What Eddie wishes he knew earlier: prune your trees and aerate your soil

You can find Eddie on YouTube at Figgy Ed.

Get more fig-growing ideas between episodes. Sign up for the free Fig Culture newsletter for practical tips, seasonal notes, and news of upcoming fig events.
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How many fig trees can one person reasonably grow? Nina Jay might not be the person to ask—unless you want the fun answer.

In this episode, I chat with fig collector and expert Nina Jay about growing figs in the Mid-Atlantic, where winter protection, ripening windows, and variety choice all matter. Nina grows a large collection of container figs, and she brings a wonderfully organized—and only slightly obsessive—approach to trialling varieties, keeping records, overwintering trees, and squeezing a fig collection into a garage.

We talk about how Nina thinks through growing-season “fig math,” why early and mid-season figs matter in cooler climates, and why late-season varieties can be risky unless you have a plan. Nina also explains why she grows in pots, how she uses trellising and irrigation in her fig patch, and how she stacks trees for winter storage in what she calls “fig Tetris.”

Along the way, we get into favourite fig varieties, California fig envy, caprifigs and hand pollination, the importance of good records and good labels, and why the fig community is such a generous place for new growers. 

In this episode:

• How to think about early, mid-season, and late figs
• Growing figs in pots for flexibility, trialling, and winter protection
• Nina’s garage storage system for a large fig collection
• “Fig Tetris” and the art of fitting trees into winter storage
• Using irrigation and trellising for container figs
• Why Chicago Hardy is still a great starter fig
• Fig varieties including Smith, I-258, White Madeira #1, Vince 3, and more
• Caprifigs, fig wasps, and hand pollination
• Keeping a fig database with photos, dates, labels, and source information
• Finding local fig growers, swapping cuttings, and learning from the fig community

Get more fig-growing ideas between episodes. Sign up for the free Fig Culture newsletter for practical tips, seasonal notes, and news of upcoming fig events.
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Craig Boyer of Coastal Fig Company joins me to talk about a fig-growing system with great potential for cold climates: fig cordons grown low to the ground inside high tunnels, with a second layer of protection using low tunnels or row covers.

Craig explains how he’s using low cordons for commercial fig production in Pennsylvania. Instead of digging and burying fig trees each fall—or instead of heating the greenhouses—Craig trains horizontal cordons close to the soil, then holds in heat with covers.

In this episode we discuss:

• how the fig cordon system works 
• combining high tunnels and low tunnels for passive winter protection 
• getting fig bud break and fruit production dramatically earlier 
• pruning and spacing strategies for commercial production 
• leaf pruning and airflow management 
• “the row cover dance” and avoiding heat damage 
• fig varieties that performed best in Craig’s trials 
• using passive solar heat instead of paying heating bills 

Craig also shares how support from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program helped make the project possible (see below).

Learn more about Craig’s project here: Coastal Fig Company project profile

About Craig’s work with cordon figs:
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number FNE22-003-AWD00000495.

Get more fig-growing ideas between episodes. Sign up for the free Fig Culture newsletter for practical tips, seasonal notes, and news of upcoming fig events.
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Note: This episode is in French. An English transcript is available on our website.

In this episode, I speak with Pierre Baud of Pépinières Baud, one of the leading voices in fig cultivation and cold-climate fig selection.

We explore his decades of work with fig trees, the inspiration behind his book on cold-hardy fig varieties, and why climate-based classification is so important for growers. Pierre shares practical guidance on choosing fig varieties for different hardiness zones—from 7A and 7B through to warmer Mediterranean-like climates.

We also discuss common mistakes growers make when selecting fig varieties, how temperature and heat affect performance, and which cultivars stand out for flavour, reliability, and versatility in the kitchen.

If you’re growing figs in a marginal or warm climate, this conversation offers rare, experience-based insight into how to choose the right variety—and why that decision matters more than most people think.

Topics covered include:

• Why fig varieties should be chosen by climate zone 
• Key differences between 7A, 7B, 8A, and warmer regions 
• The most reliable cold-hardy fig varieties 
• Common mistakes fig growers make 
• How heat affects fig performance 
• Best varieties for fresh eating vs cooking 
• Whether multiple varieties improve success 
• Pierre Baud’s personal favourites

English transcript available here.

Dans cet épisode, je jase avec Pierre Baud des Pépinières Baud, un expert en culture du figuier et en sélection de variétés adaptées aux climats froids.

On revient sur ses décennies d’expérience avec les figuiers, l’inspiration pour son livre sur les variétés rustiques, et pourquoi c’est si important de choisir des figuiers en fonction du climat. Pierre partage des conseils concrets pour sélectionner les bonnes variétés selon les zones de rusticité — de 7A et 7B jusqu’aux climats plus chauds de type méditerranéen.

On parle aussi des erreurs fréquentes quand on choisit ses figuiers, de l’effet des températures et de la chaleur sur leur rendement, et des variétés qui se démarquent pour le goût, la fiabilité et leur polyvalence en cuisine.

Que vous cultiviez des figuiers en climat limite ou en climat chaud, cette discussion vous donne des perspectives rares, basées sur l’expérience, pour faire les bons choix — et comprendre pourquoi c’est plus important qu’on pense.

Sujets abordés :
• Pourquoi choisir ses variétés de figuiers selon la zone climatique
• Les différences clés entre les zones 7A, 7B, 8A et les régions plus chaudes
• Les variétés de figuiers rustiques les plus fiables
• Les erreurs courantes chez les producteurs de figues
• L’impact de la chaleur sur la production
• Les meilleures variétés pour manger frais vs cuisiner
• Est-ce que planter plusieurs variétés augmente les chances de succès
• Les coups de cœur de Pierre Baud