Hi there! My name is Ross and I am a fig educator with an unmatched passion for fig trees. I would like to invite you to join me on my fig-growing journey this fig season. If you’re new here or you haven’t already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
If you love figs just as much as I do, help me accomplish my goal. To spread the joy of growing figs. In fact, some of you reading right now may have been inspired by me to start your own fig journey. Nothing in the world makes me feel better and liking my videos or subscribing is one of the best ways to spread that mission.
And for your own sake, my videos are a great supplemental guide to all of the information found here on the Fig Boss blog.
My latest video was filmed inside a commercial greenhouse which will be the home of some of my fig trees for the season. The greenhouse provides a perfect environment for my fig trees to grow, and the warmth helps to kick-start their growth.
In the video, I take you on a tour of the greenhouse showing the heating system, irrigation system, and potting benches that help maintain an ideal growing environment.
I am excited to share that a friend of mine, Chip, invited me to grow alongside him. He started a local seed company and I can't wait to see what he will grow and what tricks I can learn along the way.
Growing Figs in a Greenhouse
When it comes to growing fig trees, one of the most effective ways to extend the growing season and expand the variety selection is to grow them under plastic. Plastic-covered structures, such as greenhouses, provide a controlled environment that can regulate temperature for optimal growth and fruit development.
One of the biggest advantages of growing fig trees under plastic is the protection it provides from rain. Rainwater can easily seep into the fruit and cause it to rot or split just before they’re ripe, especially in humid climates. By covering the fig trees with plastic, you can avoid this problem and ensure that the fruits are healthy and intact.
Warm temperatures are another advantage for fig tree growth and ripening. Figs love heat, and warmer temperatures during the ripening stage can shorten the hang time, leading to better fruit quality. Under plastic, the temperature can be controlled to provide the optimal temperature for the figs, which can lead to earlier and better-quality fruit production.
Growing Figs under a Low Tunnel
Low tunnels are a simple and affordable season extension technique that can help extend the growing season for fig trees. These structures consist of hoops made of PVC pipe or other materials that are covered with a layer of row cover or plastic. Low tunnels can be constructed quickly and easily and can be removed when no longer needed.
Low tunnels work by trapping heat, which creates a microclimate that is more favorable for fig tree growth. By protecting the fig trees from cold temperatures, low tunnels can help to promote earlier growth and fruit production.
Using low tunnels can help promote earlier fruit production by what I’m hoping is two weeks. By constructing the tunnels in early spring, fig trees can wake up from dormancy earlier leading to earlier fruit production. Conservatively, fig trees can produce their first main crop fruits within a month after waking from dormancy, which can be as early as mid-April. This can extend the fig season and allow for a longer period of fig harvest.
I brought some of my one-gallon-sized fig trees into the greenhouse to wake them up early for the season and my larger five-gallon-sized fig trees will eventually be brought to another space, which receives
