question about fig trees

I have 4 or 5 fig trees, in our climate, we get early frosts, and it usually knocks the figs off the trees before their ripe, and kills out the trees too early for me to ever get figs off of. I have several that will come back yearly but not till around the beginning of june and they never fruit for me. I think the one in the ground is brown turkey and it never gives me any fruit but does come back yearly. What can I do to get some fruit off this thing, it gets about 8 hrs of sun a day. it's nice a big, and healthy but no fruit ever.

Also I have some figs in very large pots, and I only seem to get figs off the ones that put off new growth, never have any fruit off the ones that don't die down and have old growth. Should I cut the figs down every fall before storing them in the garage for the winter so they'll give me fruit in the spring , I have just been putting the whole trees into the garage like they are, and they come back to life the next spring alot earlier but still have all the old growth there .

any help would be appreciated.

here are a couple photos of the ones in pots, their about 3 years old. first year they grew in the ground and the second year in t he fall I dug them and potted them cause I never get fruit off them .

the second photo has some yellowing leaves because of the heat and not enough water I guess, we are watering daily now, and I have lost a few figs droppping off, should I move them out of l00% full sun since their in pots? they seem to be not doing as well since their in pots. I'll get a pic of the one in the ground too

here are the ones with the yellowing leaves. they also are the ones with the figs on them too. not many but some.

Here's the one in the ground on the side of the house. it's protected from harsh weather in the winter, and does come back late int he season, around the very end of may . think that's why I don't get figs off it? that is all new growth, it dies back to the ground. Not sure why I never see fruit. I want some FIGS!!

I've also put some mulch on top of the dirt of the ones in pots to help hold the water in. I've never fertilized, but I figure it's too late now to do that. and I might loose figs if I do that now.

Kathy_ann,
Thanks for this question - I am somewhat puzzled too although I think this year some of my figs may ripen before the cold gets them. I live in Zone 7B also. It seems to me to be a something to do with the various fig types. I have 6 or so types, some planted and some in pots. I am almost certain I will get lots of figs from a Celeste which had frozen to the ground in Winter of 2008/2009. It grew fast that Spring and I pruned it severely last Winter to make a tree. I fitted it with one of the foam pipe insulators from HD and it didn't freeze at all. I have no figs at all on an 8' black mission fig (also had a foam pipe ins. on it) but I cut off a sprout from that black mission and planted it about May and it is 3' tall and has a few small figs on it.

The deal probably is, when growth starts in the Spring, the little figs form where the leaf comes out. If there is no killing frost, then those figs have time to mature. If there is a killing frost, then the new sprouts come way too late to grow mature figs and they freeze in the Fall.
I just planted several of the previously potted ones and they are just starting to set little figs so they won't make it this year. A couple I planted in the ground earlier (May, I think) had little figs when I planted them and seem like they will get ripe.

Where you live, you probably can take the pots out earlier and then carefully bring them back in the garage when ever it's going to freeze. They have to think Spring is here to start but you can't let them freeze after that .

I would think that brown turkey would be ok but, Chicago Hardy and Celeste are the surest bets.

The more I write the more I am sure you can see that I really don't know and am just guessing. It may be next year will have better weather for you. This year was better for me and the previous year was terrible.

Paul

The photo in my first post is the Celeste that froze to the ground in 2008/2009 and then last Fall (2009) I made it into a tree - and now it has many figs.

I think I would try to really protect the tree that 's planted beside your house. Maybe make a frame from cheap lumber that can lean against the house, and staple some heavy plastic on it and trap the house heat. You can also run a single 100 w light bulb on an extension cord inside the frame on cold nights starting late in the Winter or maybe March 1st. (a guess). You really need to have the tree start greening in late March, I THINK, and then protect the new growth so you don't lose the little figs.

I got to eat 3 figs from a potted tree that I grew all Winter inside in a South facing window. Here is a pic. of the figs. I didn't put the pot on the deck until I about May 1st I think. The figs were ripe about June 10 -June 20. (delicious).

The figs on my trees now are half the size of yours in your second photos. I hope I get some .

I can put my figs out earlier in the year and take them in if frost is coming. I've had a celeste in the ground and it didn't come back so i got another and put it on one of those pots above there.

still would like to find out why I don't get figs on that brown turkey in the ground.

I think you may just not have a long enough growing period. I live in SC on the coast and both my Celeste and brown turkey figs have mature fruit right now. We had a very cold winter by our standards (mid-20's at night for weeks) and everything went fine with the fruit. It takes only about 4 months to get mature fruit for my area which makes me think you're just not hot enough for a quick ripening. ???

Doesn't really help you but I grow a decent amount of fruit trees and they can be tricky when it comes to climate. I have to grow trees that can take a frost but on the other hand I can't grow many fruit trees because I don't get enough chill hours for them to fruit.

Good luck.