My Fig Tree is Back!

I was really hoping I didn't lose this beautiful tree over this past winter.  But because it did not get very cold (we only had a couple of light freezes, even here in the hills), and I winterized the tree very well, I was pretty sure it would come back, and sure enough it did!

So this past weekend, I got out there cleaned it out, pruned it up, added some compost and organic fertilizer and watered it real well.  It looks great and I'm very happy!  Last year, I got about 10 small figs from this tree.  This year, I hope to get the same amount and maybe more.  Even though we are leaving for the summer, I plan to keep a steady drip of water on it all summer long.  That's what I did last year and it was the best thing for this tree.  Isn't it beautiful? :)

I love seeing new growth like this on my plants and trees :)

Fig Tree

I simply can't believe this...I have figs on my tree!  No kidding.  The day after we got back from our trip to Paris & The Netherlands, I was walking around the property inspecting everything and as I was closely inspecting my fig tree, I saw it had little (and I do mean little) ripe figs!  I counted three that were ready to pick and a couple more that would be ripe in a few days.  Needless to say, I was surprised but thrilled!  And they were so tasty too :)

I planted this Celeste tree tree on April 2, 2011, and did not expect to get any figs this year.  I was hopeful for maybe a couple next year.  So you can imagine my excitement at getting figs this first year.  But I babied this tree through this long, hot summer.  Like my lemon tree, I kept a constant, steady drip of water on it all summer long and it grew like crazy.  This is what it looked like in April

 

and this is what it looks like now!

 
So far I've picked about 10 small figs off this tree.  Now I know I will likely lose the foliage and any unripened figs at the first frost of the season.  But I really believe that the tree is well established with a good strong root system and that if I protect it well this winter, it will come back next year.  And like all gardeners, I am forever hopeful :)

New Fig Tree

I love fresh figs.  To me, they are right up there with summer tomatoes and baby beets!  Last year I planted a fig tree with very high hopes and expectations.  But this past winter shattered all those :/  It was just too cold for too long and I was not able to protect the tree from the extreme temperatures.

I wasn't sure if I was going to plant another fig tree (although I really wanted to), and as I was casually browsing through the nursery last week, this gorgeous Celeste fig tree practically leaped out and tackled me.  OK, I said, I'll take you home :)

Since I went through all the work last year of having the hole dug and filling it with bags and bags of compost and dirt, logic would dictate that I plant the tree in the same spot.  So I pulled up the dead fig tree, redug the hole, added 2 bags of compost and planted the tree.  It was about 1/10th of the work I put in last year!

But the tree is in the ground and it looks great.

I put a wire cage around it because some time the deer do still jump the big fence and my tender little fig tree would be a delicacy for them.  Not gonna happen if I can prevent it.   I put a little sprinkler around it and water it pretty regularly...about an hour every other day.  The temperatures have been pretty warm lately so I need to ensure the tree stays well watered.

Anyway, I'm super excited about this new addition to my Texas hill country garden.  I intend to take very good care of this tree throughout what looks to be a long hot summer.  The tree will likely not produce any figs this year, but if I can get it well established and protect it through the winter, I've got a good (fair?) chance of getting figs next year.  Maybe a little wishful thinking on my part, but I'm going to do my best to make it happen.  The rest is up to Mother Nature :)

My Fig Tree...

...it's come back!  It took a hit early this spring when a couple of very chilly nights hit us (which happens all the time here in the hills).  The tree had just started leafing out and I covered it as best I could; but to no avail.  All the tender new growth froze :(

But I was pretty convinced the tree itself was OK.  So I just continued to water it and protect it from the cold and in time, it began to recover; and now, it's growing like crazy!  I fertilized it with one cup of Medina Grown Granules and it seemed to like that.  It likely won't produce any fruit this year and I'm OK with that.  I just want to help it grown strong and healthy so that hopefully next year, I'll have tons of figs!  To me, that's another food of the gods!

Now I just have to worry about protecting it from the inevitable freezing temperatures this coming winter :-/  But I do have a plan...

Fig Tree

Things are beginning to pick up in my South Texas garden and I couldn't be happier!  We still have some very cold nights but the days are getting longer and it won't be too long before spring is here.  Which brings me to my project for the day...transplanting my fig tree from its home in a pot to a hole in the ground.

I bought this beautiful Texas Everbearing Fig Tree (Brown Turkey variety) last summer and transplanted it into a big clay pot.  It only produced a few figs for me but I didn't expect much for its first year.  When fall came, it lost all its leaves and went dormant...just as it was supposed to :)  I moved it into the greenhouse and it has lived happily there all winter.  After consulting my favorite online and print resources and talking with folks at the local nursery, I realized that if I want to get any fruit production out of the tree, I will have to put it in the ground. 

Luckily, in anticipation of this purchase (I've wanted a fig tree for a loooong time), the last time we had major landscaping work done on the property, I had the guys dig me a hole, about 6' wide, 4' across, and 4' deep.  I know...it's overkill, but I figured it would be easier to fill the hole up than to make it any bigger.  We live on a hill on solid rock!

I picked a spot on the hill that gets full sun. Plentiful sunlight is key to maximizing fruit production.  Otherwise, I can expect reduced performance from my tree.

Good drainage is important as well.  Avoid soils and sites where water stands for more than 24 hours after a rain.  In areas of poor drainage, roots receive insufficient oxygen and they will die, resulting in stunted growth and eventual death of the tree. 

So this morning I went to the nursery and bought 12, 2-cubic foot bags of gardening soil and 8, 1.5 cubic foot bags of soil revitalizer compost.  Now I was ready to get to work.

I began by dumping three bags of gardening soil in the hole, mixing in a bag of compost and then a few pitchforks of cedar bark mulch.  I continued with this process until the hole was 3/4 full.  Next, I removed the fig tree from the pot, shook some of the soil loose from the roots and made sure the roots looked healthy and were not compact and knotted up.  The roots looked good and I saw no sign of root-knot nematodes.  I placed the tree on top of the loose soil, about 2-4 inches deeper than it was in the pot.  Then all I did was fill in the hole around the tree with soil, compost and mulch, mixing well.  After the tree was in the ground, I put about an inch of cedar bark mulch around the base of the tree then put the soaker hose on it for about 30 minutes...and Voila...I now have a fig tree!

I'm so excited!  I love figs.  To me, they are the perfect summer fruit...sweet and so versatile.  I bought this variety (Texas Everbearing) because it is well suited to central and East Texas. Although it is not quite as cold hardy as the Celeste variety, it will, if injured by a freeze, produce fair-to-good crops on sucker wood the next season.  This is important to me because we live in an area prone to late spring frosts.  Since it is so new to life outdoors, I will cover it with a frost blanket if a freeze is predicted.  I worked too hard today to have a cold snap take my fig tree!

The fruit on the Texas Everbearing fig is medium to large, with a reddish-brown skin tinged with purple.  The pulp is reddish-pink and delicious, excellent for eating raw; stuffing with blue cheese, wrapped in proscuitto and briefly baked; and for making home preserves.

So...that's what I did today in my South Texas garden.  I will keep you posted as my little fig tree grows and begins to produce wonderful fruit.