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.