Black Mission Fig Tree In container in less then zone 7

Has anyone had luck with black mission fig tree, or any common fig cultivar for that matter, growing in containers in zone 5. Cleveland, Ohio to be specific. I am trying but not to sure as to what the results will be. I got a 3 1/2 total tree size root to top of tree from mail order company and planted it and waiting to see if it bears fruit over the next year or two.

Figs are great pot plants - just keep the pot small enough to move to a sheltered location in winter. As soon as the leaves all fall off, put the pot in your garage or even under the house. Put it back out in full sun after your last frost date and you will get good figs. Maybe you will get a few good figs this Summer! Black Mission is one of the best, in my opinion. Attached is an old pic of my dog waiting for another ripe fig.

My Black Mission fig froze to the ground last Winter but is now back up to 12" tall today (May 24) . I normally have no fig problems here but last Winter was a really cold one.

Paul

Mission figs get gigantic and would have to be pruned heavily as well re-potted every year. Consider one of the more compact or slower growing figs.
http://www.adrianosfigtrees.com/varieties.html
http://www.ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/391-296.pdf
http://encantofarms.com/

Thank you but I already have a mission fig. It has sprouted its first leaves, for me. I have it out on a back south east facing balcony that gets a bit warm during the summer time heat. I will take pictures when I get the chance.

I think bettydee may be overstating the growth rate of black mission figs for areas that have colder winters (or she has better compost habits than I). My black mission tree (see my dog pic above) was about 6 years old and 7' tall in the ground. I think figs are great pot plants but, remember to keep the pots small enough to move to warmth when it gets cold. If you can keep some of the wood above ground alive, then these branches will sprout and the new growth will give you figs to eat. Don't over fertilize or you will just get growth (like my tomatoes one year).

I had one 8 deg night last Winter and it killed all the tops of most of my little trees but all came back when they decided it was safe. One was a large potted LSU Purple that required two people to move downstairs for the Summer.

If you cut them back in the Winter, before you have a real cold (for me) night - below 20 deg, you can root the cuttings and start all over in a smaller post next Spring. Figs root so joyously that I have a really hard time throwing the cuttings in the compost but, alas, now I must. I have 8 trees already.

I bought a turkey fig four years ago and was not disapointed with the fruit. I made some cuttings and are now a good size. However they don't appear to have any fruit. They are in containers as our winters are not conducive to fig tree growing in the ground. Unless you want to bury them every year. My question is, do they not make fruit because they're from cuttings, or am I doing something wrong?

What size container are your cuttings in?

I've got them in approx. 5 gal. container (flower pots). They're about four feet now and still nothing. The original one has set fruit already, they're all in the same location. Someone had told me they like to be fed often but I don't want to overdo it. I love figs.This past winter I buried them in my garden and they did survive pretty well so I might do that again. I'm tempted to just plant them in the ground but I know with my luck they'll all die.
My brother has one in the ground that gives him an enormous crop every year and he hardly does anything to it except cover it in winter. Although he said he feeds it bone meal but he's also about 50 miles south of me so he doesn't get the real harsh cold.
It's a good thing he's a genorous soul. I know he'll bring some with him when he comes to visit. By the way his figs are now about an 1 1/2" diam. Mine are about 1mm. I think I'm getting jealous, and hungry.

I followed one of bettydee's links and eventually ended up at this page about growing figs in pots in NJ. http://figs4fun.com/bills_figs.html

Wow, those figs look *much* better than mine! I get maybe 4 or 5 figs per year from my four year-old trees. (After reading his page, I ran and repotted mine in larger pots!)