Exotic Figs

In her book ‘An Omelette and a Glass of Wine’, Elizabeth David said: “To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean.”  

Many of us British gardeners would like to recreate the magic of the Mediterranean and grow our own figs but although they grow well outdoors in the South of England, they are more of a challenge the further North you travel.

For this reason, Doc and I decided to grow our fig tree inside the greenhouse.  Our idea was to lift it outside in the summer but it grew too heavy and awkward to make this a practical proposition year after year so it stays under glass.  It seems to be thriving.

Another good reason for growing a fig tree in a pot is that it needs to be treated very mean.  Left to their own devices a tree can reach 20 feet tall, with lots of vigorous green, sappy growth which does not crop well. 

We planted Ficus carica, Brown Turkey’ (AGM) because it is the classic fig for this country, with heavy cropping, producing its fruit in August.   We started with the fig in a pot one size larger than the pot it arrived in and over the years, it has been re-potted on every other year.  It is now at home in a very large 45cm (18in) diameter pot of soil-based compost (John Innes 3).  We top it up with fresh compost from time to time and feed it with tomato feed in the spring and summer.  It needs plenty of water when the fruit is swelling.
 
We do prune our fig in early spring, cutting out dead or straggly branches, before the main growth starts.  By mid June, the new shoot tips are ready to be pruned to leave four or five leaves. I have heard that figs kept under glass can produce two crops per summer but we only ever have one crop. By the end of the season, there are pea-sized fruitlets which grow on the tree all winter, over spring and then into the summer for cropping. 

Figs are ready for harvesting when the skin is soft, and a bead of sugary fluid is secreted from the ‘eye’ at the base of the fig. They also split when gently squeezed.

Our fig has never suffered from pests.  Red spider mite is supposed to be a problem for figs grown under glass but we always damp down the greenhouse in hot weather.

A fig tree always has an exotic look about it and reminds us of sun-filled holidays.  I love those large, fan-shaped leaves.  I can’t say they are my favourite fruit to eat but Doc loves to eat them with goats cheese.  I did wonder about drying some of the fruits in the airing cupboard and making them into lovely fig biscuits.  However, I think Elizabeth David would turn in her grave, and we don't want that, do we?