Fig Varieties for Cold Climates
Picking Fig Varieties
Large or small, dark or light skin, dark or light flesh, early harvest or late, breba or main crop…there are lot of things to think about when picking fig varieties.
Ultimately, the most important is finding figs that do well in your conditions.
Free Fig Guide
Articles
Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t
My revised and expanded fig book is a practical guide to growing figs in pots and cold climates—from choosing varieties and pruning to ripening fruit and conquering winter.
REVISED SOFTCOVER EDITION COMING FALL 2026
The softcover is expected to be C$49 plus shipping. It is not yet available to order.
A special Kickstarter-only hardcover launch edition is available now. You can also register for this year’s two-part online Fig Camp, taking place October 15 and 22, or choose a package that includes the hardcover, EPUB, and Fig Camp.
See the Kickstarter hardcover and Fig Camp options.
The completely revised edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t has grown from fewer than 100 pages to more than 300 full-colour pages. It draws on years of growing figs in Toronto and on ideas shared by inventive cold-climate and container fig growers around the world.
If you think figs are only for Mediterranean hillsides and sun-drenched patios, think again.
In Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t, horticulturist Steven Biggs shows how home gardeners are harvesting bowls of ripe, honey-sweet figs in places where winter routinely reaches freezing temperatures and colder.
This is a practical guide to growing figs in cold climates and small spaces. Whether you’re gardening in Ontario, Idaho, Pennsylvania, or anywhere with real winters, you’ll learn how to make figs work where they shouldn’t.
Along with the key concepts, you’ll get real-world strategies from growers who are doing this successfully.
Cold-Climate Fig Course
Growing figs where winters are cold takes a bit of creative thinking.
In Fig Camp and the self-paced Fig Masterclass, I explain how to grow figs in pots or in the ground, extend the growing season, ripen more fruit, and protect your trees through winter.