Fig Growing Guide
Growing Fig is easier than you think. This guide walks you through everything you need — from planting your first seed to harvesting.
At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Tree Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -12°C
Plant Family
Moraceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
Also grows well as
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Push a pencil-thick dormant cutting into pots of gritty mix in late winter — figs root readily. A nearly free way to a tree.
Self-fertile (common varieties), so one tree fruits. Famously easy from cuttings. It actually crops BEST with its roots restricted — a large pot or a buried paving slab 'pit' makes more fruit and less leaf. Tender below about -12°C, so wrap it or pot it up in cold zones.
When To Start
First Chance to Plant
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Last Chance to Plant
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When should you plant Fig?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Fig Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
The Journey Ahead
Fig's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Restrict the roots (big pot or a slab-lined pit) for more fruit, give it the hottest, sunniest spot, and don't over-water or over-feed (that's all leaf, no fruit).
- 2In cold areas grow it in a pot to shelter over winter, or wrap the stems.
- 3In cool climates only the small embryo figs near the tips ripen, so protect those.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
300 cm
Mature Height
300 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
45 days
When to Pick
Pick only when figs hang down, are soft and a bead of nectar shows — they don't ripen off the tree
How to Harvest
- 1A fig is ripe only when it droops on its stalk, feels soft, and often shows a drop of nectar at the eye — it will NOT ripen once picked, so leave the hard ones.
- 2Pick gently (the sap can irritate skin) and eat within a day or two.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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