Enjoy sweet figs from your own plant with Chicago Hardy Fig, Ficus carica! Green fruits appear in summer; when they turn brown, they are ready to be harvested. Attractive hairy leaves emit a delicious figgy fragrance. The plant can reach up to 10′ tall, but it usually stays much shorter in the St. Louis area as it will experience winter die-back.

Chicago Hardy is one of the hardiest edible figs. Its stems are hardy to 10°F, and the roots are hardy to -20°F. In St Louis, stems that die back will resprout in spring and will produce fruit on the new wood. Chicago Hardy Fig makes an interesting container plant. If grown in a pot, it may be brought indoors or kept in a cool garage over winter.

Figs may be grown in protected locations here, for instance near a south-facing walls are ideal. Mulch the roots well.

Plant Fig trees in containers to bring indoors in winter or, if a hardy variety, in a location where it will be protected from winter winds. For extra winter protection mulch roots well. Fig trees prefer rich, moist well-drained soil.