Focus on… Growing figs

FORGET fig rolls as your source of consumption – fresh figs are where it’s at! Naturally sweet, with that unique soft and crunchy combination, how exactly do you secure such as sublime harvest?

Temperate living

Have you heard that a fig’s yield is fickle? To reassure you, the three mature fig trees that I grow are loaded with more than 200 fruits each this year – that’s hardly fickle! Just understand that, originating from western Asia, the common fig () prefers things hot. In its native climes its closeness to the Equator allows it to grow and yield almost continually. In the temperate UK (unless overwintered in a heated glasshouse or polytunnel) we should only expect one crop, which matures in late August. Pollination is straightforward: it’s not needed. A fig is not a true