Fig Culture: Helping You Grow a Fig Tree in a Cold Climate

Steven Biggs: Horticulturist and fig tree expert.
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Want to grow figs but live somewhere with cold winters? Our passion is growing figs in cold climates. We help cold-climate fig lovers grow a fig tree in a pot, grow figs in the ground, and, most importantly, conquer winter. There are many ways of growing figs in cold climates. Find out how you can successfully grow figs in your garden. Learn about fig-tree care. And get creative ideas for winter protection. Host Steven Biggs is a cold-climate fig expert, horticulturist, and the author of the award-winning book Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t, the first book specifically about cold-climate fig culture. As a horticultural journalist, he interviews other fig experts, and writes about cold-climate fig culture for magazines and for his own blog at FoodGardenLife.com. His fig fetish began in 1993, when he spent a summer at the nursery with the UK National Collection of figs. He hasn’t looked back.

Episodes

  1. 1D AGO

    Growing Figs in Quebec: A Family’s Journey into Greenhouse Innovation (French Episode + English Transcript)

    Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.- - - Note: This episode is in French. An English transcript is available on our website. How do you go from curiosity to becoming a pioneer in commercial fig production? In this episode, I speak with Anne-Marie Proulx of La Vallée du Moulin about how she and her family built a fig-growing operation from the ground up. What started as an interest turned into a passion—and eventually a business focused on producing figs where they’re not winter hardy. In Quebec! Anne-Marie shares the story behind the operation, what it takes to grow figs commercially, and how their work changes throughout the seasons. We also get into her favourite fig varieties and practical advice for anyone interested in growing figs at home. Whether you're a gardener, a small-scale farmer, or just curious about how niche crops become viable businesses, this episode offers a fascinating look into a unique agricultural journey. English transcript available here. Comment passe-t-on de la curiosité à devenir un pionnier de la production commerciale de figues ? Dans cet épisode, je m’entretiens avec Anne-Marie Proulx de La Vallée du Moulin à propos de la façon dont elle et sa famille ont bâti une exploitation de culture de figues à partir de zéro. Ce qui a commencé comme un simple intérêt s’est transformé en passion — puis en une entreprise axée sur la production de figues dans une région où elles ne sont normalement pas rustiques en hiver. Au Québec ! Anne-Marie partage l’histoire de leur exploitation, ce qu’il faut pour cultiver des figues à l’échelle commerciale, et comment leur travail évolue au fil des saisons. Nous abordons également ses variétés de figues préférées ainsi que des conseils pratiques pour toute personne souhaitant en cultiver à la maison. Que vous soyez jardinier, petit producteur agricole ou simplement curieux de savoir comment des cultures de niche peuvent devenir des entreprises viables, cet épisode offre un regard fascinant sur un parcours agricole unique. - - -Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas.  Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.

    31 min

  2. MAR 18

    The Fig Tree That Built a Community: A Story of Care, Culture, and Connection

    Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.- - - In this episode, I chat with Helena Moncrieff, author of The Fruitful City, to explore a moving story from Toronto—one that begins with a fig tree and grows into something much bigger. Helena shares the story of Francesco, a gardener whose towering backyard fig tree became the heart of an annual tradition. Each fall, neighbours, friends, and even strangers would gather to help perform the ritual of tipping the tree over to protect it through the winter. Or, later, as it got bigger, to help him wrap it. Lots of heavy work, but a shared act of growing food and cultural heritage. What started as a cold-climate fig-growing necessity blossomed into a powerful symbol of community.     If the idea of tipping fig trees for the winter interests you, here’s an article that explains how to do it. - - -Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas.  Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.

    11 min

  3. FEB 25

    Dried but Not Done: The Magic of Fig Mostarda

    Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.- - - Ever hankered for figs, but didn’t have any fresh figs at hand. Or at your local shops.  In this episode, we’re talking about a tasty and simple way to turn dry figs into a tasty condiment. Never a bad thing.  Our fig facilitator is chef and recipe developer Signe Langford from Port Hope, Ontario. If you want a charcuterie game changer, tune in for this simple, sweet, spicy recipe. For recipe sneak peaks from the books Signe and I are writing about olives, lemons, and figs, click here.For the Fig Mostarda recipe click here. - - -Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas.  Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.

    22 min

  4. FEB 21

    180 Fig Varieties Despite Chilly Winters: How One Grower Beat the Cold

    Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.- - - Wondering how to get fig trees through the winter in areas where the branches die back with the cold? One option is to grow them in pots that you store in a protected space. In this episode, we chat with Bill Muzychko of Bill’s Figs in Flemington, New Jersey, where figs die back without winter protection. Muzychko grows over 180 varieties of figs—all in containers with reservoirs. Hear how he feeds, prunes, and overwinters his potted figs trees. If the idea of containers with reservoirs interests you, here’s an article that explains how to make your own. - - -Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas.  Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.

    31 min

  5. JAN 30

    Never Enough Ripe Figs? Hear About These Fig Varieties

    Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.- - - Wondering how to get more ripe figs? Choosing varieties suited to your growing conditions makes a big difference. In this episode, we chat with fig expert Bob Duncan. Bob and his wife Verna run Fruit Trees and More, an experimental orchard and nursery on Vancouver Island. They have trialled over 200 varieties, focusing on those that produce a heavy breba crop.  Although their winters are mild, their summers are cool, meaning main crop figs often don’t ripen. Bob tells us about two varieties that work very well in his climate: Gentile Bianca has a very heavy breba crop; and San Antonio has a heavy breba crop along with an extremely early main crop. See Bob’s video about these varieties. --> Get the free guide to growing figs in cold climates. - - -Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas.  Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.

    27 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

Want to grow figs but live somewhere with cold winters? Our passion is growing figs in cold climates. We help cold-climate fig lovers grow a fig tree in a pot, grow figs in the ground, and, most importantly, conquer winter. There are many ways of growing figs in cold climates. Find out how you can successfully grow figs in your garden. Learn about fig-tree care. And get creative ideas for winter protection. Host Steven Biggs is a cold-climate fig expert, horticulturist, and the author of the award-winning book Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t, the first book specifically about cold-climate fig culture. As a horticultural journalist, he interviews other fig experts, and writes about cold-climate fig culture for magazines and for his own blog at FoodGardenLife.com. His fig fetish began in 1993, when he spent a summer at the nursery with the UK National Collection of figs. He hasn’t looked back.

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