A “Green Thumb” I’ve never been, but this year I am giving it my best to make things grow and produce. One of the things I’ll be focusing on this month and next, are fig plants… Chicago Hardy Fig plants to be exact.
This coming August I picture myself standing in the sun, in my shorts and tank top, pulling warm, juicy figs right off the branches and eating to my heart’s content. And maybe even making some preserves if there are any left over!
I have Chicago Hardy figs as my chosen variety because they are most reliable for my growing zone. These plants will need full sun, so I’ll be planting them near a wall on the south side of my house. They’ll also need wrapped and mulched during the winter months until they are fully mature.
One good thing about these figs, is that once mature, they are fairly drought tolerant and have few pest or disease problems. And, one single mature tree can produce up to 40 lbs of heavenly sweet figs per season! No figgin’ around there!
I still might consider potting up one of the trees and moving it into the mud room for the winter, just in case the others don’t make it. But I’m still tossing that idea around. So of course, now I have to start searching for some fabulous new fig recipes … ~A
