Blog
Growing notes, deep-dives, and practical advice from a Chicago fig grower. More articles on the way.
How to Know Exactly When Your Figs Are Ready to Pick
Color alone will fool you. The real ripeness signals are the neck droop, a soft jelly-like squeeze, cracked skin, and a drop of nectar at the eye. A grower’s guide with video.
How to Root Fig Tree Cuttings: My Step-by-Step Method
The exact clear-cup method I use to root fig cuttings — soil mix, the squeeze test for moisture, Dip ’N Grow hormone, and bottom heat for strong white roots. Includes the full video walkthrough.
Frost Damage Recovery
Late frost wiped out your new growth? Don't panic. Here's how to assess the damage and use potassium nitrate (KNO₃) to fast-track your trees back to full health before the season slips away.
Timing Is Everything: The Stress-Free Way to Up-Pot Your Young Fig Trees
One simple trick turns a stressful transplant into a clean, five-minute job. Let the soil tell you when it’s ready, and your fig won’t miss a beat.
Feeding Your Figs: A Season-Long Game Plan
What to feed your fig trees, when to feed them, and why getting the timing wrong can cost you a whole season of fruit. A six-phase guide from a grower who learned the hard way.
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Everything written up here was grown, killed, or ripened in my own garden in zone 5b/6a. When a variety earns its place I propagate it and list it — on FigStead, the marketplace I built and run.
My listings on FigStead →