Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.
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How many fig trees can one person reasonably grow? Nina Jay might not be the person to ask—unless you want the fun answer.

In this episode, I chat with fig collector and expert Nina Jay about growing figs in the Mid-Atlantic, where winter protection, ripening windows, and variety choice all matter. Nina grows a large collection of container figs, and she brings a wonderfully organized—and only slightly obsessive—approach to trialling varieties, keeping records, overwintering trees, and squeezing a fig collection into a garage.

We talk about how Nina thinks through growing-season “fig math,” why early and mid-season figs matter in cooler climates, and why late-season varieties can be risky unless you have a plan. Nina also explains why she grows in pots, how she uses trellising and irrigation in her fig patch, and how she stacks trees for winter storage in what she calls “fig Tetris.”

Along the way, we get into favourite fig varieties, California fig envy, caprifigs and hand pollination, the importance of good records and good labels, and why the fig community is such a generous place for new growers.

In this episode:

• How to think about early, mid-season, and late figs
• Growing figs in pots for flexibility, trialling, and winter protection
• Nina’s garage storage system for a large fig collection
• “Fig Tetris” and the art of fitting trees into winter storage
• Using irrigation and trellising for container figs
• Why Chicago Hardy is still a great starter fig
• Fig varieties including Smith, I-258, White Madeira #1, Vince 3, and more
• Caprifigs, fig wasps, and hand pollination
• Keeping a fig database with photos, dates, labels, and source information
• Finding local fig growers, swapping cuttings, and learning from the fig community

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Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.

Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.
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Craig Boyer of Coastal Fig Company joins me to talk about a fig-growing system with great potential for cold climates: fig cordons grown low to the ground inside high tunnels, with a second layer of protection using low tunnels or row covers.

Craig explains how he’s using low cordons for commercial fig production in Pennsylvania. Instead of digging and burying fig trees each fall—or instead of heating the greenhouses—Craig trains horizontal cordons close to the soil, then holds in heat with covers.

In this episode we discuss:

• how the fig cordon system works
• combining high tunnels and low tunnels for passive winter protection
• getting fig bud break and fruit production dramatically earlier
• pruning and spacing strategies for commercial production
• leaf pruning and airflow management
• “the row cover dance” and avoiding heat damage
• fig varieties that performed best in Craig’s trials
• using passive solar heat instead of paying heating bills

Craig also shares how support from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program helped make the project possible (see below).

Learn more about Craig’s project here: Coastal Fig Company project profile

About Craig’s work with cordon figs:
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number FNE22-003-AWD00000495.

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Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.

Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.
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Note: This episode is in French. An English transcript is available on our website.

In this episode, I speak with Pierre Baud of Pépinières Baud, one of the leading voices in fig cultivation and cold-climate fig selection.

We explore his decades of work with fig trees, the inspiration behind his book on cold-hardy fig varieties, and why climate-based classification is so important for growers. Pierre shares practical guidance on choosing fig varieties for different hardiness zones—from 7A and 7B through to warmer Mediterranean-like climates.

We also discuss common mistakes growers make when selecting fig varieties, how temperature and heat affect performance, and which cultivars stand out for flavour, reliability, and versatility in the kitchen.

If you’re growing figs in a marginal or warm climate, this conversation offers rare, experience-based insight into how to choose the right variety—and why that decision matters more than most people think.

Topics covered include:

• Why fig varieties should be chosen by climate zone
• Key differences between 7A, 7B, 8A, and warmer regions
• The most reliable cold-hardy fig varieties
• Common mistakes fig growers make
• How heat affects fig performance
• Best varieties for fresh eating vs cooking
• Whether multiple varieties improve success
• Pierre Baud’s personal favourites

English transcript available here.

Dans cet épisode, je jase avec Pierre Baud des Pépinières Baud, un expert en culture du figuier et en sélection de variétés adaptées aux climats froids.

On revient sur ses décennies d’expérience avec les figuiers, l’inspiration pour son livre sur les variétés rustiques, et pourquoi c’est si important de choisir des figuiers en fonction du climat. Pierre partage des conseils concrets pour sélectionner les bonnes variétés selon les zones de rusticité — de 7A et 7B jusqu’aux climats plus chauds de type méditerranéen.

On parle aussi des erreurs fréquentes quand on choisit ses figuiers, de l’effet des températures et de la chaleur sur leur rendement, et des variétés qui se démarquent pour le goût, la fiabilité et leur polyvalence en cuisine.

Que vous cultiviez des figuiers en climat limite ou en climat chaud, cette discussion vous donne des perspectives rares, basées sur l’expérience, pour faire les bons choix — et comprendre pourquoi c’est plus important qu’on pense.

Sujets abordés :
• Pourquoi choisir ses variétés de figuiers selon la zone climatique
• Les différences clés entre les zones 7A, 7B, 8A et les régions plus chaudes
• Les variétés de figuiers rustiques les plus fiables
• Les erreurs courantes chez les producteurs de figues
• L’impact de la chaleur sur la production
• Les meilleures variétés pour manger frais vs cuisiner
• Est-ce que planter plusieurs variétés augmente les chances de succès
• Les coups de cœur de Pierre Baud

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Click here to get the free Fig Culture newsletter for fig-growing tips and ideas. Especially for climates where figs don't normally thrive.