Plant This Fig Variety In Your Garden This Spring For Beautiful Foliage And Fresh Fruits

DownHome Harvest® ‘Little Miss Figgy’ Care

Figs thrive in hot, dry locations and are well adapted to Southern gardens. Modern cultivars exhibit improved cold hardiness, expanding the growing range farther north. Provide plants with plenty of sun to promote high yields. In colder areas of its range, plant ‘Little Miss Figgy’ in a sheltered location and mulch the roots heavily in winter. Planting against a south- or west-facing wall provides plants with radiant heat in winter. ‘Little Miss Figgy’ can also be grown in containers and overwintered indoors.

Light

Figs yield best when they receive a full day of sunshine, at least 6 hours a day. They can tolerate part shade but will produce less fruit.

Soil

Plants grow best in slightly acidic to neutral, organically rich soils. They require good drainage to prevent root rots and to keep fruits from tasting too watery.

Water

Figs require regular irrigation the first couple of years after planting to establish a robust root system, after which they are extremely drought tolerant. Plants can produce well with very little supplemental irrigation, however light, consistent moisture benefits fruit development. Reduce irrigation in fall as plants prepare for winter dormancy.

Temperature And Humidity

Plants tolerate high heat but are susceptible to cold damage. Figs are typically cold hardy to
USDA Zone 8, but cold-tolerant cultivars like ‘Little Miss Figgy’ are hardy to Zone 7. Consider covering plants for extra protection when temperatures dip below 15°F.

Fertilizer

Figs perform best on lean soils and require very little added nutrition. Only feretilze fig trees if they displayed reduced vigor the previously growing season. Apply balanced, slow-release, organic fertilizer in spring. Avoid over fertilizing figs, as excess nitrogen will encourage shoot growth at the expense of fruiting.

About DownHome Harvest® ‘Little Miss Figgy’ Fig

‘Little Miss Figgy’ is a type of common fig that produces two crops per year: a breba crop, which is produced early in the season on old wood (the previous year’s growth) and a main crop, which ripens later in the season on the current year’s growth.

‘Little Miss Figgy’ is a naturally occurring mutation of ‘Violette de Bordeaux’ fig that exhibits a much more compact habit, maturing at 4 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. Plants do not compromise on fruit production, yielding a heavy main crop of delicious dark purple fruits from August through October.

How To Plant ‘Little Miss Figgy’

‘Little Miss Figgy’ is available from garden centers as container-grown plants that are best set in the garden during spring. Figs can grow in any well-draining soil, from sand to clay, but do not tolerate alkaline soil (high pH). Conduct a soil test and amend soil as needed, ideally several months prior to planting. Do not prune or fertilize fig trees at planting time.

1. Water plants well before transplanting to prevent roots from drying out during the planting process.

2. Dig a planting hole 2-3 times as wide as the root ball. This allows you to spread the root system.

3. Gently remove the plant from its pot and loosen the root ball.

4. Set plants 2-4 inches deeper than they were growing in the nursery pot.

5. Fill the planting hole with the original soil removed from the hole, tamping the soil gently with your hand.

6. Water plants thoroughly and apply 1 to 2 inches of mulch, avoiding the area closest to stems.

Pruning DownHome Harvest® ‘Little Miss Figgy’ Fig

Figs produce fruit on both old wood, which grew during the previous growing season (breba crop), and new wood that will grow during the current season (main crop). Figs can be pruned in a way that promotes production of both crops by maintaining some shoots at their current length and trimming back others to promote new growth.

Prune plants during the dormant season. Start by removing any damaged, diseased, or crossing branches, cutting them back to the ground or a main branch. Also remove any root suckers. Thin the overall number of stems growing from the ground, removing the weakest shoots while maintaining a desirable form. Then use heading cuts to trim several branches, cutting them one to two feet above ground level. This encourages new shoot development, where the main crop will develop. The harder you cut back plants, the more vigorous the new growth and the later fruits will develop. Be sure to maintain a few uncut stems if you’d like to also produce a breba crop.

How To Get DownHome Harvest® ‘Little Miss Figgy’ Fig To Fruit

Figs can sometimes fail to produce fruit for a variety of reasons. First, most fig plants do not fruit the first season after planting. Be patient as you wait for plants to become established. Excess nitrogen is a major cause of fruit failure. When plants receive too much nitrogen, they put on excess vegetative growth at the expense of fruit production. Adjust fertilization practices accordingly and remember that figs prefer leaner soils.

The length of the growing season can also impact fruit production. If your fig plant produces many fruits that fail to mature before fall freezes, try adjusting your pruning practices. Make shallower heading cuts, removing just twelve to eighteen inches with each cut, to promote earlier ripening.  

Overwintering

If you live within the USDA hardiness zones 8-11, your fig plants growing in the ground require little preparation for winter. Cut back on watering in autumn to avoid wet winter soil and mulch plant roots well. Gardeners in zone 7 will want to mulch heavily and have a plan for covering plants when temperatures dip below 15°F. A simple blanket or tarp works well. Container-grown figs in these locations can be overwintered outdoors by burying the pots in the ground in a sheltered location.

Fig lovers have devised numerous clever ways to grow figs beyond their hardiness zone. The simplest of these is to grow figs in containers—to which ‘Little Miss Figgy’ is well suited—and overwinter the plants indoors. Wait for the fig plant to go dormant before moving it indoors. Place plants in a cool, dark location, such as a basement or garage, ideally between 30 and 45°F. Water containers just enough to prevent soil form drying out completely.

Propagating ‘Little Miss Figgy’ Dwarf Fig

DownHome Harvest® ‘Little Miss Figgy’ Dwarf Fig is patent-protected and cannot be propagated.

Potting And Repotting DownHome Harvest® ‘Little Miss Figgy’ Fig

‘Little Miss Figgy’ grows well in containers. Select a planting container with adequate drainage holes that is one to two sizes larger than the nursery pot. This larger container will accommodate the season’s root growth. Use a well-draining potting media, setting the plant slightly deeper than it is in the nursery container. Fill in around the roots with potting media, then water thoroughly, adding more soil as needed.

Container-grown plants dry out faster than plants in the ground and will require more frequent irrigation. Water pots when the upper 2 inches feel dry to the touch. Figs do not mind confined spaces but will need to be repotted when the roots outgrow the container. Select a container one size larger and prune shoots as needed to manage plant size.  

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Although figs are not bothered by any serious pests, occasional problems can occur. Root knot nematodes live in the soil and feed on fig roots. This feeding can stunt plant growth and reduce fruit production. Scale, aphids, mealybugs, and spider mite outbreaks occur on occasion. Monitoring plants and treating problems early is the best way to prevent serious infestations.  

Fig Mosaic Virus is a virus found in all cultivated fig trees. It causes cosmetic damage, most notably yellow leaf spots, but does not cause any serious problems and is generally tolerated. Fig Mosaic Virus is most pronounced on container-grown figs. Plants often outgrow the damage once planted in the ground.

Watch for foliar diseases such as leaf spots, rust, and blight. Remove infected leaves and twigs and dispose of these in the trash. Practice good sanitation by raking up and disposing of fallen fruit and foliage helps to limit insects and disease problems.  

Common Problems

The most common problem experienced by fig growers is competition from hungry animals. Birds and squirrels love figs almost as much as we do. Cover plants with netting if birds are a problem and try a motion sensor sprinkler to startle away unsuspecting squirrels. Pick up fallen fruits to discourage bees and wasps.