How to grow Fig in Australia

Where to plant

Figs want a warm, sunny, sheltered spot and free-draining soil. They cope with heat and dry summers well once established, but they dislike waterlogged ground. Restricting the roots, in a large pot or a bed with a barrier, cuts back leafy growth and helps the tree put its energy into fruit, which is why figs crop so well in pots.

The common fig has escaped from gardens and become an environmental weed in moist sites near towns, particularly in Western Australia and South Australia, where it ranks highly in the state environmental weed strategy, and it has naturalised in Victoria and New South Wales. Do not plant it beside creeks or bushland, and pick up or net the fruit so birds do not spread the seed.

• Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra: figs do very well. Plant bare-rooted or potted trees from June to August. Canberra's cold winters suit them, and dark-skinned varieties are a good choice there.
• Hobart: plant from June to August in the warmest spot you have, ideally against a north-facing wall. Early varieties ripen one good crop in a warm summer.
• South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers: figs grow well, but summer rain can split the fruit and fruit fly is a problem, so bag or net ripening fruit.
• North Queensland and Darwin: plant in the dry season, from May to July, so the tree establishes before the wet. Expect humid weather to bring rust and fruit splitting.

Choosing a variety

Grow a common fig variety, which sets fruit without pollination. Smyrna and San Pedro types such as Spanish Dessert need a pollinating wasp and a caprifig to set fruit, so they are not a good choice for a backyard. Gardening Australia rates Brown Turkey as probably the most versatile and easy to grow, good for both cooking and eating fresh. Other common garden varieties include Black Genoa and White Adriatic.

How to plant

1. Plant in winter while the tree is dormant. Potted figs can go in at other times if kept watered.
2. Choose a sunny, sheltered, well-drained spot, and dig in a little compost.
3. Plant at the same depth the tree sat in its pot or nursery bed.
4. Water in deeply and mulch, keeping the mulch clear of the trunk.
5. To keep a tree small and fruitful in the ground, line the sides of the planting hole with a root barrier.

Watering and feeding

Water young trees regularly through their first summer. Established figs need a steady supply of moisture through the growing season, most of all while the fruit swells, then slightly less as it ripens. Uneven watering, a dry spell followed by a soaking or heavy rain, makes ripening fruit split.

Feed lightly. Too much nitrogen gives lush leaves and few figs. A little compost or a balanced organic fertiliser in spring is enough for trees in the ground. Potted figs do best with a high-potassium liquid feed every couple of weeks through the growing season until the fruit starts to ripen.

Pruning and care through the year

• Prune in winter while the tree is dormant. Keep it to a height you can net and pick, remove dead, crossing and crowded branches, and open up the centre. Figs can also be trained flat against a wall or fence.
• Wear gloves and long sleeves when pruning or picking. Fig sap irritates skin, especially in sunlight.
• Remove suckers growing from the base. They make the tree messy, give pests an easy path from the ground and take energy from the main tree.
• Net the tree or bag individual fruit before it ripens, against birds and fruit fly.

Harvesting

Figs do not ripen after picking, so leave them on the tree until they are fully ripe. A ripe fig is soft, droops on its stalk, has a little give near the stem, and may show small splits or a drop of sweet nectar at its base. Lift it gently and twist it off.

The main crop ripens in late summer and autumn. Some varieties also carry an early crop, called the breba crop, in early summer on last year's wood. Eat figs within a day or two, keeping them in the fridge, or dry, freeze or make them into jam.

Growing in pots

Figs are one of the best fruit trees for pots, as the restricted roots encourage fruiting. Start with a pot about 30 cm wide and deep, filled with a quality potting mix, and move up to a slightly larger pot every couple of years. Water daily in hot weather if needed, as figs in pots dry out quickly, and feed with a high-potassium liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks through the growing season.

Propagation and saving seed

Figs root very easily from cuttings. In winter, take pieces of dormant wood about 20 cm long, or thicker truncheons, and plant them in a pot of mix or a sheltered bed with most of their length below the surface. Kept in a shady spot and lightly moist, they root readily and quickly. Low branches touching the ground often root too, and suckers can be dug up and potted.