🍈 When to Plant Figs

🥬 Vegetable
Warm Season

Hardy in zones 7+; grow in large containers in colder zones; harvest when fully soft and colored

📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone

Select your zone to highlight your exact planting dates. Dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates.

Find my zone
Zone Last Frost Start Indoors Transplant Direct Sow
Zone 2A May 30 May 16
Zone 3B May 15 May 1
Zone 4A May 8 Apr 24
Zone 4B May 1 Apr 17
Zone 5A Apr 25 Apr 11
Zone 5B Apr 18 Apr 4
Zone 6A Apr 21 Apr 7
Zone 6B Apr 10 Mar 27
Zone 7A Apr 5 Mar 22
Zone 7B Mar 28 Mar 14
Zone 8A Mar 20 Mar 6
Zone 8B Mar 12 Feb 26
Zone 9A Feb 28 Feb 14
Zone 9B Feb 15 Feb 1
Zone 10A Feb 1 Jan 18
Zone 10B Jan 15 Jan 1
Zone 11A Jan 1 Dec 18

Figs are rewarding, low-maintenance fruit trees that thrive in warm climates and can be grown in containers for cold-climate gardeners.

Top Growing Tips

  • Hardy in-ground in zones 7+; grow in containers and overwinter indoors in zones 5-6
  • Produce two crops: breba (on old wood in spring) and main crop (late summer)
  • Prune lightly — heavy pruning reduces fruit production
  • Ripe figs are fully soft, slightly drooping, and may have a drop of nectar at the eye
  • Harvest within days of ripening; figs do not ripen off the tree

Companion Planting

Good companions: rue, comfrey, aromatic herbs

Avoid planting near: Wet, poorly-drained soil — susceptible to root rot

Harvest Timeline

Year 2-3 after planting; harvest when fruit is fully soft and has a nectar drop