More About Figs

As you know, our fig tree is finally producing this year, and I am slowly learning about them.

I got the fig tree five years ago from a customer who came into the library with figs for the staff along with several fig plants to give out. (BTW, it's nice living in a small community where people share things freely.) Someone said to me, "You like to grow things. Take this." I took one to be polite, but I wasn't that interested in figs. However, I took the seedling home and put it in a small pot. I watered it occasionally, not knowing what to expect. It got 3 leaves that first year which promptly fell off. I thought that might be from poor care but learned that figs are deciduous, so it was doing what came naturally. 

I entered figs in the community fair this year.

After spending a couple of years indoors, I moved it outside for the summer and took it back in for the winter. Each year, the plant grew a few more leaves and a branch or two. And then we finally got two figs. That was pretty exciting. After that, we repotted the tree into a big planter and left it outside all year. We placed it next to the house and it seemed to thrive. It grew a little bigger and increased its crop to 6 figs. This year, it finally came into its own. There are figs all over the plant, and now it's taller than our house. So we are beginning in earnest to learn about figs. We are experimenting and have eaten them fresh, made jam, and made fig bars. We haven't yet branched out to using the leaves although I know there are many uses for them.

Theo informed me the other day, that natural figs are pollinated by a fig wasp that crawls into the fig and lays eggs. When the larvae are born, they crawl out of that fig into another one pollinating along the way. In the meantime, the mother dies and is absorbed by the fig. However, cultivated figs have been developed that don't need this particular wasp to produce figs because it turns out that the figs are the flowers of the plant.  They bloom inwardly instead of outwardly. If you don't want seeds from the plant, pollination is not necessary. (BTW, Theo always seems to know a lot of trivia like that. Maybe he should be on Jeopardy someday.)

I did a quick check of Wikipedia and it seems that Theo was right. I also learned that figs were one of the first plants cultivated by humans. Eve used a fig leaf in the Bible so if you take that story literally, it says that figs have been around since the beginning of time. Also, figs have more naturally occurring varieties than any other tree crop. By looking at pictures, I determined that we have a Brown Turkey variety. It has a milder flavor than most figs and is not quite as sweet. I really wouldn't know because I've not tasted any other varieties except whatever they put in Fig Newtons. :)

I liked these better than Fig Newtons although
the recipe said they were like Fig Newtons.

Our tree has definitely outgrown its pot, and we plan to transplant it this fall. We have a place picked out that will not be as protected as where it is now, so I'm not sure how it is going to do. Figs are native to the Mediterranean and don't like cold weather. However, Brown Turkey is one of the hardier varieties. It should survive in our climate but may die back from freeze damage each year. There are several suggestions on ways to protect the plant during the winter, but we're leaving it alone so we'll see how it survives both the cold and the transplanting. 

Do you grow figs? Any tips?

Until next time...