Fig, brown Turkey, impulse buy!
I shouldn’t have done it, but I got tempted and bought a Brown Turkey fig in the garden centre this morning, without checking what conditions it needed.
I thought it would look nice on the front lawn and was hoping it would grow quite large, and also not get eaten by the deer or rabbits.
It will be on the north side of the house, but as it’s a bungalow, it will get loads more sun there than on the south side of the house, which is shaded by mature trees on the hill above.
Im really growing it for looks and size rather than fruit, although that would be a bonus, so wasn’t planning to restrict its roots.
Am I setting myself up for failure?
I thought it would look nice on the front lawn and was hoping it would grow quite large, and also not get eaten by the deer or rabbits.
It will be on the north side of the house, but as it’s a bungalow, it will get loads more sun there than on the south side of the house, which is shaded by mature trees on the hill above.
Im really growing it for looks and size rather than fruit, although that would be a bonus, so wasn’t planning to restrict its roots.
Am I setting myself up for failure?
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It probably wasn't your best choice - particularly if you don't really intend to grow for the fruit but we are all guilty of impulse buying
They can make quite a statement if grown on their own but as above, bare branches in the winter months and not much else. The Brown Turkey at least is the hardiest of the Figs in the UK and you shouldn't have a problem with it reaching your desired height once it is established. What you will need to consider is that if and when you do want to reduce the height, it will happily throw up suckers from the base.
You don't say whether it will stand alone altho if you are planting in the middle of your lawn, I would assume so?
Perhaps just be prepared that you may end up with a little thicket in future years ?
The upside of this is that I now have a 12 foot olive tree and a 5 foot fig tree, brown turkey also. Always wanted both and need some privacy on all sides. They have both survived the move. Olive is now planted in the garden and the fig is in a large planter on the terrace. Both are looking happier!
The best fig trees I've seen are against walls snuggled in the corner of a walled kitchen garden I worked in, perfectly sheltered. The roots were in the ground but this was a large private estate, so they had the room for the fig to spread!
I don’t already have a suitable pot either, so this could end up as an expensive purchase! That will teach me to get seduced by some healthy leaves and a low price tag, winking at me in the garden centre!
Apart from getting the poor thing into a bigger pot, or the ground, what else does it need?
I had those little figs starting to form, then they’d drop off, I thought it might be better in the green house, planted in the soil bed.
Blooming thing took off like a rocket, huge in the first year even bigger following despite cutting it back, still no figs, I’m getting rid of it now.😀