We Love Fig Trees!

Our readers are proud of their fig trees!

Browse the photos below to read about their fig growing experience

~ and contact us to learn how to submit your photo and caption (include “FIG TREE GALLERY” in the message line)

Susan Lombardi-Verticelli

Boston, Massachusetts

The fig tree that grew, surrounded by concrete, in my tiny childhood yard in the City of Philadelphia gave us so much fruit, we couldn't keep up with it. That tree came from my grandfather and several are also growing at my father's house in the Philly suburbs. They are constant reminders of my family, their immigration and the fruits of their literal labor.

I now grow two fig trees in Boston, from the same cutting of the Philly trees. People are shocked! Given that we are in a slightly colder zone than Philly I don't get the abundance of fruit that I did as a kid. But every year my trees come through for me. And my kids know too that that first bite of the season is special. Now, like me as a child, they grab them from the tree before I can even say, "wash it off first."

The wind passes through their leaves and the smell is heaven to me!

Aaron Tobul

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Here is a picture of my son Rocco with my wife’s “family” tree. It was supposedly brought over by her grandfather, Rocco Carabetta, when he came here from Grotteria, Reggio Calabria in 1921. Although it has survived many Pittsburgh winters uncovered my sister-in-law, her husband and I now carefully prune, tie, and wrap it in blankets and tarps every November. It rewards us with dozens of beautiful honey-flavored figs with light green skin and crunchy amber interiors. Last year I was routinely filling up plastic shopping bags every other day with the main crop. They make a great jam! Aside from the wonderful taste, it is good to have a link to the generations past who have enjoyed this tree both here and in “the old country.”

Lorraine Sciulli

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I am so excited to share the photo of my tree. That picture is from 2 years ago, the tree is much bigger now and shades Saint Fiacre. I had to prune it back quite a bit last fall so I could cover it. I open up two large tomato cages (my cages are made of cement reinforcement wire-2ft. in diameter and 5ft tall) and stake the open cages with rebar, one on each side of the tree then I wrap landscape cloth around the cages and over the top. I only cover one side of the tree with a plastic tarp to protect it from the wind. If I don't prune the tree too severely I get two crops of light green figs. I got my green fig tree off my good friends who live 4 doors down from me about 8 years ago. They got their tree from relatives and when they had ripe figs they would share them with me and I fell in love with the soft, sweet fruit.

Alisa Lenhardt

Sewickley, Pennsylvania

I purchased my tree at May Mart, an event hosted by local garden clubs. I had seen fig trees growing in several backyards in Sewickley and wanted to try to grow one. It hasn’t grown much in the several years that I’ve had it because I probably haven’t been protecting it adequately in through the winter. It has died back several times, but I haven’t lost it altogether. It seems to be growing very well this year. I’ll try covering it better this winter.

Mirella Vercillo

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I received three fig trees last year from friends. One came from Mary Menniti and two came from my friend Francesco from Calabria. I was born in Italy so I grew up with fig trees and now I’m happy to have some of my own here. They are planted in the community garden I created at the apartment building where I live. In the winter I wrap them with blankets and then cover them with plastic. I hope to have both white and dark figs this summer, but maybe not until next summer.

Joe Grandinetti

Mountain Top, Pennsylvania (zone 5b)

My grandparents were from the neighboring towns of Decollatura and Soveria Mannelli in Calabria. This is my “Mezzina” fig tree – my favorite out of a few varieties I grow. It was started 13 years ago from a cutting taken by my wife Maria’s grandfather, Damiano Mezzina, from his brother Corrado’s tree in NJ. The tree provides bountiful dark, raspberry-tasting figs. My fig trees are all in large containers, which during the growing season, I bury against the south-facing side of our home. I over-winter my trees in an attached unheated garage.

Russell Madonia

Erie, Pennsylvania

As told by son, Michael: Russ' fig tree came from his friend Vince Crisanti of Pittsburgh several years ago. He keeps it in the garage in the winter and rolls it out to the back yard in the spring. It has yet to produce fruit so I’m not sure if they will be white or dark figs. My dad tells, with great fond memory about his dad's fig trees. They were big enough, that when my dad was a child, he would climb them to pick figs.

Jana Thompson

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

As told to Mary Menniti: I bought the tree at the Northside Farmer’s Market (Pgh). It was just a cutting that I forgot about and accidently left in the car overnight that night. I thought I had killed it. I felt guilty for having neglected it, so I potted it anyway and left it on a sunny windowsill. We called it the “Dead Asparagus”. But in the spring it started to come back to life. I transplanted it to my backyard, against the house. It grew grows well there. I don’t even cover it and I get lots of dark figs every year.