When to Plant Figs

Bare-root figs: plant while dormant

Bare-root figs are sold leafless, and they need to go in before buds break. A dormant plant can grow new roots before it has leaves to supply with water. Once a bare-root fig leafs out, it is stressed from the start.

How early in the dormant season you can plant depends on your winter.

• Cold areas (zone 7 and colder, and higher elevations): Clemson advises planting in spring after the danger of hard freezes has passed. In practice, that is usually the last few weeks before your average last frost. See the dates for your zone above. Tennessee describes bare-root figs as planted while still dormant in late spring.
• Mild areas (the Coastal Plain and similar): Clemson allows bare-root figs to be set out in fall or early winter, which gives roots months to grow before summer heat.
• Florida and other warm-winter areas: UF/IFAS plants bare-root figs in the dormant season, from December to late February, and its gardening guide calls late winter or early spring the best time. Figs grow best in north and central Florida. South Florida may not get the roughly 100 hours at or below 45°F that figs need to set fruit.

Container-grown figs: more flexibility

A potted fig keeps its whole root ball, so it can go in later than a bare-root plant. Clemson says container figs can be planted later in the season. Tennessee says they are usually planted during the growing season. UF/IFAS allows any month in Florida with irrigation.

Planting in summer is fine if you water often. Plan on deep watering several times a week through the first summer; UF/IFAS gives about 10 gallons per watering. Check pot-grown plants for circling roots, and loosen or trim them before planting.

Why fall timing is tricky in cold areas

A fig’s main risk in its first years is winter injury. UF/IFAS says fully dormant figs tolerate about 15 to 20°F. Young, tender growth is killed by temperatures just below freezing. Two things go wrong when planting runs late into the season in a marginal climate:

• The roots have too little time to spread into native soil before the ground cools.
• Fertilizer or heavy watering given to help a late planting pushes soft new growth that freezes. UF/IFAS warns against anything that triggers a flush of growth in late summer.

Planting in spring avoids both. The fig gets a full growing season to root in, and you can stop feeding by midsummer so the wood hardens before frost.

Zone 6 and borderline areas

Where figs are only marginally hardy, the safest choice is often a pot rather than the ground. Tennessee recommends large containers, 20 gallons or more for mature plants. Penn State moves potted figs into an unheated garage or cool basement for winter and brings them back outside in April. Pick a hardy cultivar. UT lists ‘Chicago Hardy’ and ‘Celeste’ among those reported hardiest, in zone 7 and possibly zone 6.

If you plant a fig in the ground in zone 6, plant it in spring next to a south-facing wall, leaving 3 to 4 feet of space. Expect to wrap or mulch it heavily for the first several winters. If the top dies back anyway, figs usually resprout from the roots. The main crop forms on new wood, so a fig killed back to the ground can still fruit in late summer.

The first year after planting

Whenever you plant, the first growing season is about roots, not fruit. Mulch 2 to 3 inches deep and keep the soil evenly moist. Hold back fertilizer until the plant is established. Do not expect much fruit. Tennessee says harvest may come after two years but more likely after three, and Clemson says three to four years is common before a fig matures a reliable crop.