By Steven Biggs

Overwintering Figs in Edmonton

Over the past few years I’ve been in touch with Bernie, a fruit grower in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Bernie’s minimum winter temperature can dip to -40°C (-40°F)…so his figs need a bit of help making it through the winter.

Laying the plants flat to the ground and mulching, as I do here in Toronto, isn’t enough protection for his figs from winter temperatures.

Buried Fig Tree

Bernie sent me this photo. There’s a fig tree in there, even though you can’t see it!

The fig tree is buried in a trench alongside the foundation of his house. He covers the buried fig tree with a few bags of leaves—like a blanket to keep it even warmer. Once snow arrives, he covers it with snow for added insulation.

Why bury the fig tree beside the foundation of the house? The soil close to the foundation stays a bit warmer.

Bernie uses a max-min thermometer to track temperatures. Last winter, the soil temperature around his buried fig tree dropped to 2°C (36°F), while outside, the air temperature outside dropped as low as -36°C (-33°F).

Some Figs in the Garage Too

Bernie also has potted fig trees that he stores in the safety of his garage for the winter—a more common fig overwintering technique in his garden zone.