Overwintering In-Ground Fig Trees with a Heat Tube

Written By Steven Biggs

Overwintering Fig Trees

Will Pananes grows large fig trees in the ground in south-central Pennsylvania—USDA Zone 6b, where unprotected fig trees can freeze back to the ground.

His solution is a homemade heat tube: an incandescent light bulb enclosed in metal pipe and placed inside the tree’s winter wrapping. The small amount of supplemental heat protects the trunk and branches during the coldest weather, giving the tree a head start the following spring and enough growing season to ripen a substantial crop.

In this conversation, Will talks about:

  • Why he decided to grow figs in the ground

  • How his heat-tube idea developed

  • The burnt burlap that led him to enclose the bulb in metal

  • Pruning and gathering the branches before wrapping

  • Protecting trees of different sizes

  • Monitoring the bulb during the winter

  • The advantages of preserving mature wood in a cold climate

This interview originally aired on The Food Garden Life Show in 2020. Will and I have corresponded for many years, and pictures of his trees and winter-protection system appear in the updoming revised edition of my book, Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t: Growing Figs in Cold Climates and Pots.

See pictures and a detailed explanation of Will’s system:
PA Fig Grower Uses Heat Tubes to Overwinter Figs

Steven Biggs

Recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the "green gang" of Canadians making a difference in horticulture, Steven Biggs is a horticulturist, former college instructor, and award-winning broadcaster and author. His passion is helping home gardeners grow food in creative and attractive ways.


He’s the author of eight gardening books, including the Canadian bestseller No Guff Vegetable Gardening. His articles have appeared in Canada’s Local Gardener, Mother Earth News, Fine Gardening, Garden Making, Country Guide, Edible Toronto, and other magazines.


Along with over 30 years working in the horticultural sector and a horticultural-science major at the University of Guelph, Steven’s experience includes hands-on projects in his own garden including wicking beds, driveway strawbale gardens, and a rooftop tomato plantation—to the ongoing amusement of neighbours.


When not in the garden, you might catch him recording his award-winning Food Garden Life podcast or canoeing in Algonquin Park.

Next

The Fig Tree Beyond the Fruit