Fig ‘Chicago Hardy’
* Common name: Fig ‘Chicago Hardy’
A ‘Chicago Hardy’ fig, espaliered on George’s west-facing garage wall.
* Botanical name: Ficus carica ‘Chicago Hardy’
* What it is: Fresh figs are some of the world’s tastiest (and most expensive) fruits. Most people think our climate is too cold to grow them, but many varieties will grow and produce well here. ‘Chicago Hardy’ is not only one of the cold-hardiest varieties, it’s a variety that also rates highly in taste comparisons.
Plants grow into small trees or large bushes, produce large, green, scalloped leaves, and ripen sweet, brown figs gradually over weeks from September into fall. Fruits are ready to pick just as they soften.
* Size: Plants grow 10 to 15 feet tall and almost as wide but can/should be kept smaller with pruning. Size also can be managed by training branches up a support or espaliering them.
* Where to use: Best winter protection is against a west- or south-facing brick or stone wall. Also can be grown in courtyards or similar wind-protected areas or even out in the open if protected inside a winter wrap (see below).
Another option is growing in a large pot that’s moved inside a garage or shed in winter. Figs fruit best in full sun.
* Care: Plant in late spring or early summer, ideally in well drained soil. Keep plants consistently damp the whole first season, then figs are drought-tough once roots are established. Scatter a balanced, organic, granular fertilizer over the surrounding bed early each spring.
After frost browns leaves in fall, prune back branches to 5 or 6 feet tall and about 4 feet around. Then hammer stakes around the plant, wrap burlap or a tarp around the stakes, and stuff the resulting “cylinder” with fallen leaves to insulate the branches over winter. Remove the protection in late April.
Cold winters may kill all or part of the stems. Remove dead wood in spring once you see which wood is pushing new growth and which is not. Even with complete diebacks, ‘Chicago Hardy’ will push up new shoots from the base and go on to fruit later that season. Eight or 10 inches of mulch over the roots heading into winter also helps; remove all but 2-3 inches of it in spring.
* Great partner: Hefty roots of figs make it tough to grow much well underneath. Just mulch is fine. If you must underplant with something, try a shallow-rooted, tough groundcover like creeping sedum, creeping oregano, or creeping thyme.