When to plant figs in Baoding

Why these dates

Plant dormant, into a restricted root space - a lined pit, a large container, or against a wall with a paving slab under the rootball. In cool climates the embryo figs that overwinter on the shoot tips are next summer's crop, so anything that kills those shoots costs the year.

Established wood tolerates around -10C and will regrow from the base below that, but the pea-sized overwintering figs are killed well before the wood is, at roughly -2C. In a cold region, wrapping the shoot tips is the difference between a crop and a handsome leafy shrub.

Figs are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Baoding has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Baoding is zone 7a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

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