How to Ripen Figs Earlier: Breba, Heat Units & the Pruning Mistake That Delays Your Harvest
“How do I get my figs to ripen earlier?” It's one of the most common questions I get, and the answer comes down to three things: genetics, heat, and how your tree is pruned and protected.
Hey there, fig growers! I'm Ross, the "Fig Boss," and I've dedicated my life to this amazing fruit since 2014. I grow hundreds of fig varieties in the Philadelphia area, where our last frost is around May 1st and our first frost is around November 1st.
This question comes up the most from two groups of growers:
Growers with mild summers, like the Pacific Northwest and the United Kingdom. There just aren't enough heat units to ripen the main crop reliably.
Growers in the Northeast and other northern climates, including me, where we don't have a whole lot of frost-free days.
A lot of what decides your ripening date is genetic, hardwired into the variety's DNA. But there are also growing techniques that help, and they're tied very closely to your tree's hormones. Below, I'll walk through the breba crop, the ripening timeline, frost-free days, heat, greenhouses, pots, raised beds, late frost, and finally the part almost everyone forgets: pruning.
If you're looking for a list of early varieties, that's in my early ripening fig varieties article. If it's already fall and your figs are stuck green, start with why your figs aren't ripening. This article is about setting your tree up to ripen earlier every year.
If you only read one other article after this one, make it the role of plant hormones in fig tree pruning. It's the piece most ripening advice leaves out.
Breba vs. Main Crop: Why Some Figs Ripen 30 to 45 Days Earlier
Fig trees can ripen two crops. The breba crop forms as the tree wakes up in spring, so it ripens 30 to 45 days before the main crop.
The breba crop forms on last year's wood. As the fig tree wakes up in the spring and pushes new leaves, the brebas form right along with them. That's why this crop is so important if you want figs early.
The main crop forms on the new growth. You're basically waiting for that new growth to grow enough, and then form figs. That process just takes a little bit of time, which is where the 30 to 45 days comes from.
The catch: not every fig variety produces brebas. That's genetic. So is how early a variety ripens its main crop.
This is partly why places like the United Kingdom and the Pacific Northwest have a hard time ripening the main crop and mainly rely on the breba crop: they just don't have enough heat units to ripen the main crop reliably. That's not true everywhere. There are different varieties and different microclimates within these areas, and depending on where you are, you might be able to ripen your main crop every single year. But in those places, think of the main crop as a bonus. The breba crop is the main thing you're looking for.
The Ripening Timeline: From Pea Size to Ripe in 65 to 120 Days
Once a fig reaches the size of a pea, most fig varieties take about 90 days to ripen. The earliest varieties take about 65.
Most fig varieties leaf out around the same time in the spring. The branches grow, and then, usually like clockwork here in the Philadelphia area, all of my fig trees have little baby figs on them by around the end of May.
From that pea-size stage, here's roughly how long it takes:
About 65 days: the earliest fig varieties in existence.
About 75 to 80 days: varieties that are early, but not super early.
About 90 days: your average variety.
Over 100 days: what I've seen in some years.
About 120 days: what other growers have reported when their figs just wouldn't ripen.
Here in the Philadelphia area, without any head start, that translates into a ripening calendar like this:
August 1st: the early main crop varieties start.
August 15th: the mid-season varieties.
September 1st and onward: the late varieties.
About September 15th: the very late varieties, which won't really start until then.
Just because a variety starts on a particular date doesn't mean it ripens figs in high quantities right away. It can take a while for most fig varieties to really start pumping them out. That's why varieties like Ronde de Bordeaux and Celeste are so important: not only do they ripen at an early date, they ripen a lot of figs to start the season off. They're pretty incredible that way.
So if you want to ripen figs early, choosing the right variety is critical: either one that produces brebas, or one with an early main crop. My full list is in early ripening fig varieties, and if you're in the Northeast, see my top 5 fig varieties for Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC.
Frost-Free Days: How Much Season Do Figs Need?
About 120 frost-free days is the bare minimum for ripening the main crop. About 150 days is what I'd want for a reliable harvest.
If you want to know whether you're in a short-season climate, at least for fig trees, look at your frost-free days. 120 frost-free days is very short for fig trees.
The Breba Crop Fits a Short Season
My last frost date here is around May 1st, and my breba crop ripens around July 1st. The math doesn't line up neatly with the last frost, because the trees generally wake up earlier than May 1st. Mine are usually awake around the middle of April, growing, with the brebas forming.
The nice thing about the breba crop is that it ripens in a very short window. The harvest window is only about 10 to 15 days. It depends on location, but generally it's very quick and all at once, almost like a determinate tomato. The main crop's harvest window is anywhere from 30 to 60 days, so it takes a lot longer.
The Main Crop Math
Now look at the main crop. Even the earliest varieties possible, like Ronde de Bordeaux, Pastiliere, and Celeste, take about 65 days to ripen once their figs form. With my average last frost on May 1st, those don't ripen here until about August 1st.
That's because it takes roughly 30 days for the figs to form, then another 65 days to ripen. That's 90 to 100 days after my last frost: all of May, June, and July, three months right there, just to get figs by August 1st.
So is 120 days enough? Doing the math, it's not impossible at all. If you can get your figs to ripen within roughly 90 days, you should have another 20 to 30 days or so before your first frost. That's why I'd call 120 days the bare minimum, but not ideal. You really need about 150 days for a reliable harvest.
A Light Frost Isn't the End
Even after your first frost, you can still ripen figs. A light frost, if the figs are in their final ripening stage, can actually speed up the ripening process and finish them off for you. A hard frost is different: it knocks the leaves and the figs off the tree. That's not good, because we need those leaves to ripen the figs and give them their sugar content, especially toward the end of the season. More in the first frost: a turning point for your fig trees.
The people who really need to ripen their figs earlier are the ones in the Pacific Northwest and the United Kingdom, without enough heat units, or in the Northeast and other northern climates, without enough frost-free days. If that's you, ripening figs during the warmest part of your season matters for flavor, too. If your figs are stuck green late in the season, see why your figs aren't ripening and late ripening fig varieties for cold fall weather.
Why the Breba Crop Is Unreliable, and How to Make It Reliable
Brebas go through two drop phases. The first one, the one most people blame on spring weather, is really about energy, and a bigger, more mature root system solves it.
It's difficult to get a reliable breba crop when you're growing in containers. After a lot of testing, I found the breba crop here in the Philadelphia area to be very unreliable, and it's the same for a lot of other growers. Many of the brebas fall off prematurely.
Some people thought that was because of the big temperature swings in the spring. I thought that might be the case too, but after more experience with my trees, I've realized there are really two drop phases.
Drop Phase 1: The Tree Runs Out of Energy
You'll see your fig tree form a lot of brebas in the spring. Then, after maybe 10, 15, or 20-ish days, right around the time the first ripening stage is about to end, a lot of them fall off.
That's because the tree can only handle so many fruits. A lot of fruit trees prematurely drop fruit when there isn't enough energy available. Apples, pears, and stone fruits form hundreds or thousands of fruits, and if you don't thin them, the quality and size suffer. Sometimes the trees naturally drop a number of fruits on their own, so in that sense, it's a normal process.
Drop Phase 2: Varieties That Aren't Supposed to Make Brebas
The second drop happens toward the end of the second ripening stage. That's the same stage where Smyrna fig varieties drop their figs, and where San Pedro fig varieties lose their main crop: if those figs aren't pollinated, the tree rejects them. Here's an easy test to see if your fig variety requires pollination.
It's the same with certain varieties that seem to produce brebas but aren't genetically supposed to. They're fooling you a little bit. The brebas get to a decent size, it looks like they're about to ripen, and then one day, all of them fall off. Again, the tree just isn't supposed to ripen them.
The Fix: A Bigger, Older, More Mature Root System
The first drop phase is the one most people blame on fluctuating spring temperatures. The way around it is simply a bigger, older, more mature root system. Planting my trees in the ground completely solved the problems I had in the spring, so the temperature theory was more or less disproven.
I've seen the same thing from other growers who grow big trees in really large pots, like 20 gallons or bigger. Some people grow them in 55-gallon drums. At a certain point, they have a big, mature root system, and the tree has an excess of energy available so it can grow and produce fruit at the same time.
That's the major issue with the breba crop: in the spring, energy has to go toward growth and toward the brebas. On a young fig tree, the breba crop can actually delay the main crop, because so much energy goes into ripening those brebas that it takes away from the new growth, and therefore the main crop. I haven't found that to be the case with older, mature trees with larger roots.
So unfortunately, a reliable breba crop just takes time. But the varieties that produce it are extremely valuable. More in my guide to the breba crop and the varieties that produce it, and in why your figs are dropping prematurely.
Heat Units and Soil Temperature: The Engine Behind Ripening
A 65-day variety can turn into a 90-day variety, and a 90-day variety into a 120-day variety, if it doesn't get the heat units it needs.
Other than the breba crop and the variety, heat is a really big one. That's exactly what happens in the Pacific Northwest and other places with mild summers.
Soil Temperature Controls a Fig Tree's Metabolism
We humans have a metabolism that keeps us in homeostasis. When we're cold, we shiver; when we're hot, we sweat to cool down. Plants can't do that. They rely on the environment for their metabolism, and every plant has evolved with certain conditions.
That's why it's recommended that you don't plant beans, corn, squash, cucumbers, or tomatoes until the soil is warmer, while a whole host of other vegetable crops don't mind cooler soil. Their metabolisms evolved in those conditions.
The fig tree is a warm, sun-loving plant, and the most optimal soil temperature is 78°F. At 50°F, it'll grow, but not a whole lot. A soil meter that reads temperature takes the guesswork out of it.
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Black Pots and the Sun as a Heat Source
This is partly why it's so beneficial to grow fig trees in pots if you're in a northern climate without a lot of frost-free days, especially if the pot is black. Always opt for a black pot, because it warms up the soil a lot better. More in choosing the right pot size and potted fig tree care.
In colder or milder places, you also want your pots and trees where the sun hits the soil any time there's sun. The sun does two things: it provides the energy for photosynthesis, and it's a heat source. So think about creative ways to use the sun as much as possible. A few more ideas for warming the soil early in the season are in fig tree maintenance in the spring, and the light side of the equation is in maximizing sunlight to form figs.
Warm roots mean a faster-growing tree, and a tree that grows well early in the season sets its figs sooner. I go over more ways to speed up growth here:
Growing Degree Days and the 90°F Boost
I don't know the exact formula for how fig trees count heat units. Some people like to use a growing degree day calculator, and usually the base of a growing degree day calculator is about 50°F. But there's a huge benefit to temperatures over 90°F when it comes to adding up those heat units.
That's also why, in places like Southern California where it's extremely hot, it's hard to say which varieties are early, mid-season, or late. A lot of fig varieties ripen roughly around the same time. The heat in the spring is so intense that it forces all the different varieties to start fruiting at the same time.
Some varieties take longer for their figs to show up, and once the figs are on the tree and pea-sized, some varieties take longer to ripen. All that extra heat eliminates the difference in time it takes for the figs to show up. The 65 or 90 days from pea size to ripe doesn't change much, even with temperatures above 90°F. At that point, it's almost hardwired into their DNA, like clockwork.
The only way that number changes is if it's not warming up. As long as you have enough heat, consistently around 78°F in the soil, or even 60 to 65°F, you're probably going to hit that number right on the head.
Greenhouses: Up to 50 Degrees Warmer, So Ease Into It
A greenhouse is the most obvious way to add heat units in the spring. The trick is not giving your trees too much heat too soon.
The greenhouse effect warms the trees during the day as the sun shines in and traps the heat inside, so you have a much warmer environment than outside. On a sunny spring day, the greenhouse I grow fig trees in every spring can be 50 degrees warmer than it is outside.
It gets so hot in there that in the summer, we open all the vents fully, and anything we grow in that greenhouse has to be under shade cloth, anywhere from 30 to 70%.
Too Much Heat Too Soon Stunts the Tree
Heat units trigger the main crop on the new growth. Once the heat unit requirement is met, the branches set their figs. That's actually a problem if it happens too soon, because the tree won't have enough time to grow enough leaves.
Fig trees need enough leaves, and enough photosynthesis, to support all those figs for the rest of the season, and ideally to keep growing while it produces and ripens figs. Too much heat too soon can basically stunt the tree. So you want to ease into it.
My Spring Greenhouse Targets
Nights: keep them above 50°F. That's the main goal.
Days: about 80 to 85°F. You don't need to blast the heat; 78°F is the most optimal temperature.
Over 90 to 100°F: you're adding to the heat units dramatically, which is why too much of it, too early, is a risk.
One of the greatest things about pots is that their root systems are generally warmer in the spring, because they're above ground in a black pot the sun can warm up quickly, and you can move them into a greenhouse. You can also plant big trees right in your greenhouse. My full guide is growing fig trees in a greenhouse, and if your potted trees wake up in storage too early, see how to handle early leafing out.
Do Potted Figs Ripen Earlier Than In-Ground Figs?
Not consistently. Across my trials, the same variety in a pot and in the ground generally ripens around the same time.
Some people think there's about a two-week difference, and that's been the general consensus for many years. In numerous years, I haven't seen that to be the case. In other years, I have seen potted fig trees ripen two weeks earlier than their in-ground counterparts. Either way, anything you can do to increase the heat really helps.
More in fig trees in pots vs. the ground and the best fig varieties for pots vs. planting in the ground.
Raised Beds and Berms: The Container Effect in the Ground
To mimic the container effect, plant your fig tree above ground, ideally about 2 feet above grade, in a raised bed, a berm, or a big mound.
Years ago, I did a big experiment where I planted a lot of my fig trees above ground. You can plant them in a raised bed, or create a giant berm or mound and plant the fig tree into it. Ideally, the tree is planted about two feet above grade. That gets you the container effect in the ground, potentially a big benefit in heat units.
Planting above grade also helps drainage in heavy soils and wet climates. Here's how I do it in my guides to planting a fig tree in the garden and the fig tree planting masterclass.
Late Frost: Destroyed Buds vs. Damaged Buds
If a late frost destroys the new buds and the tree has to restart from a lower point, that's a big delay. If the buds are only damaged, it's about two weeks.
The main thing to watch with trees that warm up and wake up early is late frost. There are frost advisories and freeze watches, and just because you get a light frost in the spring doesn't mean your trees will take damage.
The difference that matters is whether the new buds are destroyed or just damaged. Destroyed buds mean the tree restarts from a lower point, which is a big delay on your growing season, and as you'll see below, it works on your tree's hormones the same way pruning does. Damaged buds are a different story: only about a two-week difference. My whole guide is navigating late frost: protecting and recovering your fig trees.
Pruning and Hormones: Probably the Most Important Factor
Pruning, and winter damage, can dramatically change when your figs ripen. So much of the content out there about ripening figs earlier completely forgets about it.
Anytime you do some form of pruning, whether it's with your pruning shears or the winter does it for you, you're changing the tree's hormones. The tree doesn't know the difference. Those hormones basically tell the tree what to do.
Sunlight, heat, water, and fertilizer are the building blocks, the prerequisites that need to be met. Heat units are one of them, and the heat unit requirement actually isn't a whole lot. Once it's met, the hormones in your tree tell it to fruit or to grow. I cover the prerequisites in why your fig tree isn't fruiting.
One Hormone Says Grow, One Says Fruit
There are multiple hormones, but for the sake of this example, let's say there are two: one tells the tree to grow, and one tells it to fruit. If you head back your branches, the more growth you remove, the later the tree fruits. The less you prune, or if you don't prune at all and the tree takes no winter damage, the tree ripens at the earliest date possible.
Your Tree Banks Hormones Every Day
Every day that goes by during the growing season, your fig tree is banking hormones. It's like putting them in the bank. The balance shifts toward increasing the tree's ability to fruit, and decreasing its growth rate.
Believe it or not, trees that are very old, like 50 years or more, can have so many banked hormones that they really struggle to grow every year. If that's the case, they need rejuvenation pruning.
On the other end, young fig trees fruit at various different times. They're not set in their ways yet, because a young tree's balance of hormones favors growth, not fruiting. That's part of how long it takes a fig tree to bear fruit.
When a Tree Dies to the Ground: A 1 to 2 Month Delay
When I head back my branches during winter pruning, the lower I go with my cut, the worse it is. If the tree dies all the way to the ground, that can be a month to two months of delay. Instead of ripening August 1st, my trees can ripen October 1st.
In fact, this year, in 2026, the majority of my fig trees died to the ground. We had the worst winter in a decade, and their response was to grow 10 to 15 feet. In that recovery, the hormones they had banked basically restarted almost down to zero. Not completely: there's still some left in the tree that helps it fruit, especially if it fruited a lot the year before. But the tree has to take time to rebuild the hormones that favor fruiting, not growth. That's why there's a delay.
About 10 Leaves Before the First Fig
Usually, the tree grows around 10 leaves or so before it finally produces its first main crop fig. After that, each leaf should correspond to a new fig. That's the problem for trees that were cut to the ground, cut extremely hard, or had the winter do it for us: it takes a long time to grow those 10 leaves, and that usually puts us sometime in July.
Do the math. If figs finally form around July 15th, and they take 90 days to ripen, you're looking at October 15th. Here in the Philadelphia area, that leaves only 15 days before our first frost. You'll ripen maybe a couple of figs. I describe this exact thing in my hormone video:
Protect Your Fig Trees
That's why it's extremely important to protect your fig trees. Winter damage acts just like hard pruning, and I'll show you exactly how I protect mine in the winter protection section below.
You can't talk about ripening figs earlier without genetics, varieties, and heat units, and obviously you need a healthy fig tree. But you can't avoid pruning either. Cooler spring temperatures might delay your fig tree by a couple of weeks, maybe a month. If it's pruned improperly, we could be talking about two months, or figs that never ripen at all.
This is the most important concept in this article, and I go much deeper on it in the role of plant hormones in fig tree pruning and fruit production. Read it before you pick up your pruners this winter.
How to Prune Your Fig Tree for Earlier Figs
The more of last year's wood you cut back, the later the tree ripens and the more it grows the next season. Thinning cuts let you control size without changing the tree's hormones.
Pollarding: The Imaginary Line
Pollarding is a good example of what not to do if you want figs early. You draw an imaginary line across your fig tree, at waist, chest, or head height, three feet, four feet, whatever height you choose, and cut everything above it. That delays your main crop by about a month, because you're removing about 90% of last year's wood.
A Worked Example: 20 Branches, 3 Feet of New Growth
Imagine a fig tree with about 20 branches, and every branch grew 3 feet of new growth this season. Here's what happens to the main crop when I head those branches back:
Cut back 33% (one foot): the main crop is delayed by about two weeks.
Cut back 66%: now we're talking maybe three weeks.
Cut back 90 to 95%, leaving some buds behind: the tree grows a lot more next year, and the main crop is delayed by potentially about a month.
So the more wood you cut from last year, the later it ripens, and the more it grows the following season.
Thinning Cuts Keep the Hormone Balance
Now say I make thinning cuts instead. Rather than removing 33%, 66%, or 90% of the new growth, I remove the branch entirely, from its point of origin, leaving no buds behind. That doesn't affect the tree's hormones next year at all. It's one way to keep the same balance of hormones your tree had the prior season.
Every Branch Has Its Own Balance
Here's one interesting thing: if I prune one branch back by 50%, that doesn't disrupt the entire tree. That one branch ends up with a different balance of hormones than the rest of the tree.
If you make a major cut on a lot of fruit trees and leave some buds behind, removing 90 to 95% of the wood instead of 100%, you often get water shoots: very fast-growing shoots. That's exactly what a fig tree's suckers are. They have the wrong balance of hormones for fruiting, they probably won't fruit, and if they do, they'll fruit too late. That's what we're avoiding with thinning cuts instead of heading cuts: don't leave anything behind.
Light Heading for Productivity: A Short Delay
Some people may want to cut last year's wood back by 33%, or 15%, or just remove the growth tips, the apical buds. That can encourage the tree to grow a little more next year and delay the main crop by a short period of time, but increase your production overall. I've written about that trade-off in my complete guide to pruning fig trees in containers.
Keep It Smaller Without Disrupting the Hormones
There are ways to prune your fig tree without disrupting its hormones and still make it smaller. Say you have a shoot that's really tall. Trace it back to a lower point, any branch crotch you'd like. You can remove all of the one-year-old wood, then go down into the two-year-old wood and remove all of that on that branch. You can even go all the way down to a scaffold or one of the main trunks and remove it completely. Again, that doesn't disrupt the hormone balance. More in how much to prune and how to keep fig trees small.
Heading Cuts Also Remove Your Brebas
Keep in mind: if you remove 33% of the new growth, you're also removing all the breba buds on that wood, because that's where the breba crop forms the following year. For an early harvest, that's a double loss.
Winter Protection: Don't Let the Winter Prune Your Tree
Winter damage is pruning. Every branch the cold kills back resets the hormones that branch banked, and that pushes your figs later. Protecting the wood you already have is one of the easiest ways to ripen figs earlier.
Remember: the tree doesn't know the difference between a heading cut and a branch the winter killed. If the winter takes a branch back by a foot, it's like cutting it back by a foot. If the tree dies to the ground, like the majority of my trees did in 2026, the banked hormones restart almost from zero, and the main crop can be a month to two months late. That's the whole reason the role of plant hormones in fig tree pruning matters as much in the winter as it does in the summer.
The goal for our fig trees during the winter is for them to take zero winter damage, so we keep the critical fruiting buds: the apical (growth tip) and lateral buds. Those buds are what give us earlier figs, higher quality figs, and easier fruit set the following year. On a breba variety, last year's wood is also where the breba crop forms, so a branch lost to the winter is a breba crop lost too.
Protect at Least One Shoot
If you can't protect the whole tree, protect at least one shoot. Remember, every branch has its own balance of hormones. A shoot that comes through the winter with its buds intact keeps the hormones it banked last season, so it can still fruit on time, even if everything around it dies back and regrows.
Protect the entire shoot, not just the trunk or the base. When I bent and covered my trees, the damage showed up exactly where branches stuck out above the mulch line. Thicker, well-lignified branches are the best ones to pick. More on that in the secret to cold-hardy fig trees: lignification.
Potted Trees: Winter Storage
Potted fig trees don't have the insulation of the surrounding soil, so in zones 4 through 7, and some zone 8 climates, they go into storage. Here's how I do it:
Let them go dormant first: let them get hit by a few frosts, at least one hard frost around 25°F, until the leaves drop and the sap flow almost disappears.
Store them before it drops below 15°F: that's my general rule for when the forecast says it's time.
Keep them between 15 and 50°F all winter: a garage, a shed, an insulated greenhouse, or a root cellar that stays cold works. Total darkness doesn't matter; temperature does.
Avoid warm basements: they're usually too warm, and your trees wake up in the dark way too early, which is a big setback for the season.
Water sparingly: water them in well and mulch the pots before storing, and check on them occasionally.
My full guides: fig tree winter storage, where to store container fig trees, and what to do with young potted fig trees come winter. If you're deciding whether to keep a tree in a pot at all, see fig trees in pots vs. the ground and potted fig tree care.
In-Ground Trees: Wrapping
By wrapping a tree correctly, I'm gaining about 5 degrees of warmth, protecting it from the wind, and trapping the heat rising from the earth. I wait until I see an extreme low in the 10-day forecast, around 15°F. Here in the Philadelphia area, that's after Thanksgiving, usually around Christmas. Wrap too soon, and the moisture inside the wrapping can cause mold.
Tie it in: prune if you need to make the tree manageable, then pull the branches and trunks together with jute twine or bungee cords.
Insulate: wrap the branches in burlap, housing insulation, moving blankets, bubble wrap, pipe insulation, or fleece row cover.
Frame it (optional): set 3 to 4 stakes around the tree, wrap chicken wire around them, and fill the inside with leaves, straw, woodchips, or shredded cardboard.
Seal it: cover it with a tarp, concrete blanket, tar paper, or roofing felt, tie it tight, and set a heavy-duty bucket or trash can on top.
Trap the earth's heat: mulch and weigh down the base so cold air and moisture can't get in from underneath.
The step-by-step, with photos, is in the ultimate guide to wrapping fig trees.
Bend and Cover
My favorite method is the “bend and cover” method. I bend the one-year-old shoots close to the ground, secure them with garden staples, stakes, or bricks, cover with cardboard, and bury every inch of the bent branches and the root zone under straw, woodchips, or leaves. The branches are closer to the earth, which is a heat source, so all that's left to do is insulate them. It's a lot more efficient than wrapping.
To avoid rot, choose thicker branches, consider a tarp over the mulch to keep excess moisture out, and don't cover too early in the fall. Cardboard can help tremendously too. In zone 6A, training the tree low as an espalier or low cordon makes covering even easier, and in zone 5, the “cut and cover” method protects the root crown. My zone-by-zone strategy is in fig trees in zones 5, 6, and 7, and the varieties that need the least help are in hardy fig varieties.
When to Uncover
Here in the Philadelphia area, December through February are the coldest months. I uncover in March, when a temperature below 20°F is uncommon. Uncover before it gets too warm: it's the combination of warmth and moisture around the bark that leads to mold and rot. After that, the bigger risk is a late frost, and that's only a concern once the trees are actively growing.
More in when to uncover a fig tree and unwrapping fig trees in the spring. Once your trees are uncovered, prune with thinning cuts, not heading cuts. Here's how much to prune and how to keep fig trees small.
Ripening Figs Earlier: FAQ
How can I make my figs ripen faster?
Grow a breba-producing or early main crop variety, give your tree as much heat as you can (black pots, full sun, raised beds, or a greenhouse), protect it from winter damage and late frost, and prune with thinning cuts instead of heading back last year's growth.
How much earlier does the breba crop ripen?
The breba crop ripens about 30 to 45 days before the main crop, because it forms on last year's wood as the tree wakes up. Not every variety produces brebas.
How long does it take a fig to ripen?
Most varieties take about 90 days from pea size to ripe. The earliest take about 65 days, and without enough heat, 90 days can stretch to 120.
How many frost-free days do fig trees need?
About 120 frost-free days is the bare minimum for ripening the main crop, and it isn't ideal. About 150 days gives you a reliable harvest.
What soil temperature do figs need to ripen?
About 78°F is optimal. At 50°F, fig trees grow, but not much. Black pots and full sun warm the soil faster.
Do potted fig trees ripen earlier than in-ground trees?
Not consistently. In my trials, the same variety generally ripens around the same time either way, though in some years potted trees have ripened about two weeks earlier.
Does pruning delay figs?
Yes. Heading back 33% of last year's growth delays the main crop about two weeks, 66% maybe three weeks, and 90–95% (or pollarding) about a month. A tree that dies to the ground can be one to two months late.
Why do my breba figs fall off?
Usually it's the first drop phase: a young tree, often in a pot, doesn't have the energy to grow and carry its brebas. A bigger, more mature root system, in the ground or in 20+ gallon pots, solves it. A second drop late in the second ripening stage means the variety isn't genetically meant to ripen brebas.
Does winter damage delay figs?
Yes. The tree doesn't know the difference between winter damage and pruning. A branch killed back by the cold behaves like a heading cut, and a tree that dies to the ground can ripen one to two months late. Store potted trees between 15 and 50°F, wrap or bend and cover in-ground trees, and protect at least one shoot.
Will a greenhouse make my figs ripen earlier?
Yes, but ease into it. Keep nights above 50°F and days around 80–85°F. Too much heat too soon triggers figs before the tree has grown enough leaves and can stunt it.
Putting It All Together
Start with the right variety, give your tree all the heat you can, protect the wood it already has, and stop heading back last year's growth. That's how you get figs earlier.
Genetics first: choose a breba producer or an early main crop variety.
Know your season: 120 frost-free days is the bare minimum; 150 is reliable.
Add heat: black pots, full sun, raised beds about 2 feet above grade, or a greenhouse with nights above 50°F.
Be patient with brebas: a bigger, more mature root system makes them reliable.
Protect and prune smart: protect your trees from winter damage and late frost, and use thinning cuts. Read the role of plant hormones in fig tree pruning next.
