RHS Growing Guides
How to grow figs
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Figs.
Getting Started
Sweet, succulent figs may sound like exotic treats for warmer climes, but if you choose the right spot, you can enjoy home-grown figs in the UK too.
Planted in a warm, sunny site, figs should produce plenty of delicious fruits
Figs crop well in containers, either trained as a fan or as a small free-standing bush or tree, so can be grown in even the smallest garden in a warm, sunny spot. Keeping them in a pot is also useful in cooler regions, so they can be moved indoors over winter.
In the cool UK climate, figs produce two crops a year, but only the first one usually ripens:
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The first crop is produced from embryonic figs that start to form in late summer at the branch tips. They stay as pea-size
fruitlets -
The second crop forms on the current season’s shoots later in spring and early summer. These fruit rarely have time to ripen outdoors. They may reach a reasonable size, but will remain hard and green, so any that are larger than a pea are best removed at the end of summer
Fig trees can also be grown in a greenhouse all year round, where both crops may ripen in a good summer.
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Choosing
There are several varieties of fig suitable for cropping in the UK – the best known and most widely available is ‘Brown Turkey’, which has an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) so makes a reliable choice.
You can see figs growing in the fruit areas of the RHS gardens, so do visit to compare varieties, see how they are grown and pick up useful tips.
What and where to buy
Figs are sold as young potted plants in spring and summer. They are available in most garden centres, but for the widest choice of varieties go to specialist fruit nurseries and online fruit tree suppliers.
Recommended Varieties
Hardy and reliable with large, sweet, pale green fruit with translucent white flesh.
The classic variety for British gardens, it fruits heavily. Best grown with root restriction in the ground or in a pot.
A compact variety, ideal for containers. Produces a prolific crop of sweet, burgundy-coloured figs.
Planting
Figs need a warm, sunny, sheltered spot to crop well. Spring is the ideal time to plant, so they have a full growing season to get established. Restricting their roots encourages fruiting, so either plant into a hole lined with paving slabs or into a large container sunk into the ground or free-standing.
Planting in the ground
Choose a spot with free-draining soil, against a south- or south-west-facing wall or fence, where the branches can be trained into a fan. Allow plenty of space either side – a fan-trained fig should be allowed to reach around 3.5m (11½ft) wide, and will readily grow further if you have room.
To restrict the roots, dig a hole 60cm (2ft) deep and wide, then line the sides with vertical paving slabs. They should form a rim 2.5cm (1in) above the soil level, to stop roots escaping over the top. Leave the base of the hole unlined, but add a 10–20cm (4–8in) layer of rubble or stones to prevent the roots growing downwards while ensuring good drainage. Refill the hole with the removed soil, enriching this with a bucketful of organic matter if your soil is poor.
Position the fig at least 20cm (8in) away from the base of the wall/fence, and attach horizontal wires or trellis to support the branches of the fan – see our guide to training figs.
Fan-training maximises your crop and keeps plants at a manageable size
Planting in a container
When you first plant up your young fig tree, choose a pot that's around 30cm (1ft) wide and deep, filling it with a good-quality, peat-free, soil-based compost. Position in a warm, sunny spot, ideally against a south-facing wall. Figs in containers need repotting every few years to stay healthy and productive – see Repotting, below.
Plant Care
As figs are usually grown with their roots restricted, they need some regular maintenance to crop well – this includes watering during dry spells, regular feeding and winter protection. It is also a good idea to protect ripening figs from squirrels and birds by covering the tree with plastic-free or reused netting, holding it away from the fruits with canes and keeping it taut to avoid trapping birds and other wildlife.
Watering
Fig trees need a steady supply of moisture throughout the growing season. Newly planted figs and those with their roots restricted are especially vulnerable to drying out, so check daily during hot, dry weather and water as needed to keep the soil evenly moist. Fig trees growing at the base of a wall or fence may also need regular watering, as their roots may be sheltered from the rain. Plants may shed leaves and/or fruits if they become too dry.
Too much water can also be harmful, so avoid growing figs in poorly-drained soil. Make sure plants in containers are never left standing in trays of water, especially in winter.
Mulching
Mulch fig trees growing in the ground annually in spring, to enrich the soil, conserve soil moisture and deter weeds. Apply a thick layer of mulch, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, making sure to leave a small mulch-free circle immediately around the base of the stems.
Feeding
Feed fig trees growing in containers with an organic, high-potassium liquid fertiliser fortnightly throughout the growing season, until the figs start to ripen in late summer. Plants growing in a restricted planting pit can be treated the same way, or given a high-potassium granular fertiliser once a year in early spring.
Fig trees growing unrestricted in regularly mulched soil shouldn't need any additional feeding.
Repotting
Take care not to overpot figs, as they fruit better when their roots are restricted
Once it becomes impractical to move the tree to a larger pot, repot into the same one, removing and replacing any loose compost and lightly trimming the roots. In the years between repotting, topdress by removing the top layer of compost and replacing with fresh.
It is not neccessary to 'repot' figs growing in a restricted planting pit, as long as they are annually mulched and are growing well. However, it is a good idea to check for any roots that have made a bid for freedom beyond the paving slabs. Dig around the outside of the slabs and sever any roots that have escaped, then block up any gaps.
Winter protection
In all but the warmest sites, it’s best to protect fig trees over winter, so the tiny fruitlets that form in late summer don’t get damaged by frost, which would ruin the following year’s crop:
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Fan-trained figs – once the leaves fall in autumn, pack straw or bracken around the branches, then secure with netting or cover with hessian or plastic-free fleece. Remove the insulation gradually in spring once growth starts
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Free-standing fig trees in containers – in autumn, move into an unheated greenhouse, shed or porch until after the last frost in late spring. Alternatively, wrap as described above
Propagating
There are a few ways to grow new plants from an existing fig tree:
- Take hardwood cuttings in autumn, inserting cuttings around 20cm (8in) long into pots of cuttings compost or directly into a trench outdoors. They will root slowly, over several months, after which they can be planted into their final growing position
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Layer low-growing branches, in spring or autumn, until they develop their own roots and can be detached as a brand new plant
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Pot up suckers in spring and grow on until you have a well-developed young plant
Pruning and Training
Pinching out shoot tips is a key part of summer fig pruning
Figs can also be pruned to keep them as small bushes, or as standards (shaped like a lollipop) – these also need pruning twice a year. Untrained fig trees may still produce fruit, but as the plants can grow very large, fruiting may not be as prolific and the crop will be less easy to protect and harvest.
When pruning figs, bear in mind that the sap is an irritant, so wear gloves, and start pruning from the base and work upwards, to avoid any drips.
For step-by-step advice on fan and bush training, see our guides below.
Harvesting
Ripe fruits may be purple, brown or greenish-yellow depending on the variety
Figs are ready to harvest when their skin is soft and they hang limply from the branch. They may split when gently squeezed or produce a droplet of sugary liquid from the ‘eye’ at the base. Pick fruit by holding the stalk and tearing it away from the branch.
Figs are best eaten soon after picking, though can be frozen or made into preserves.
Problems
Figs are usually hardy, healthy, vigorous plants that are not prone to diseases. They may sometimes be affected by scale insects or red spider mites when grown in a greenhouse.
Fruit ripening can sometimes be a problem, especially in cooler locations or poor summers. Fig trees need a warm, sheltered, sunny site, ideally against a south-facing wall, and the fruitlets need protection from frost over winter. As soon as the fruits start to ripen, cover the plant with netting, held away from the fruits with canes, to protect them from birds and squirrels.
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