Cathy Isom has a few great tips for you about the expensive fruit you can grow from home. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
For anyone who loves figs, they know they can be pretty pricey when purchased from the local supermarket.
Instead of spending an arm and a leg on buying figs, consider growing your own. Figs are easy to plant, they grow well in almost any planting zone, and they require a minimal amount of care. There are many different varieties of figs. Including Brown Turkey, Kadota, Adriatic, Calimyrna, and Black Mission – a common variety that’s easy to spot because they have a rich purple color which almost makes them appear black.
Black Mission figs are sweet and would be a great option for those who follow a whole foods diet but still love their sweets. Pick your fig variety to grow, and either plant in a container or outdoors. If you’re growing figs with the goal of a large harvest, try constricting the roots of the tree. This happens on its own in a container because the tree only has a set amount of room to spread out.
However, if you’re growing them in the ground, try planting the tree in a well-draining pot. The roots will grow under the pot, but will also come out of the top of the pot.
Every other year stick a sharp knife into the ground and see if any roots have grown out of the top of the pot. If they have, cut the roots away from the tree.
By constricting the roots, it encourages the tree to produce more fruit. It will be vital to thin the fruit from your trees because if the tree overproduces, it could develop the cycle of biennial bearing to catch up on resources. The best companion plants near fig trees are strawberries, rhododendron, and marigolds.
I’m Cathy Isom…