Figs: A Taste of Home in a Country of Immigrants
We chat with Montreal fig enthusiast—and fig tourist—Michal Hacio.
Hacio says that his passion for growing figs and meeting other fig growers started when he spent time living in Vancouver, where an Italian neighbour introduced him to fig growing.
A Taste of Home
Hacio says that in a country of immigrants such as Canada, people often bring something to connect them with their home country.
For many people, that something is a fig plant.
A Way to Connect
He finds that a shared interest in figs is a good way to connect with other people.
Hacio recounts the time he spotted a fig tree growing in the Westmount neighbourhhod of Montreal. He got chatting with the gardener…and by the time he was finished, he had heard the gardeners whole life story, including how the fig tree had been given to him by someone who was originally from Greece.
Overwintering Figs
Hacio has overwintered figs many different ways in Montreal. His key message for would-be growers is that there is more than one solution to overwintering figs in a cold climate. “Be creative,” he advises.
He’s met people who cart them into the basement, people who put the plants into a heated garage, and people who bury them.
“If you want to reap the reward of these fruits you have to be creative.”
Fig Books for Northern Gardeners
This book will help you apply creative “fig thinking” in your garden and harvest fresh figs even if you have a short summer or cold winters. With some fig thinking, you can harvest figs in areas where they don’t normally survive the winter! In this book, I share many of the questions I have been asked about growing figs in temperate climates, along with my responses.
Didn’t think you can grow your own figs in a cold climate? Here’s all you need to know to grow exotic fresh figs, even if you live somewhere with cold winters. Find out about choosing the right location, watering, pruning—and how to conquer winter. You’ll also learn about varieties, dealing with pests, and get tips from cold-climate fig experts.