chicago hardy figs - Ask Extension
I just ordered a couple. They will arrive mid-winter. Can I keep them indoors until it is warm enough to plant them outdoors (May). Anything I shou...
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chicago hardy figs #892293
Asked February 04, 2025, 3:23 PM EST
I just ordered a couple. They will arrive mid-winter. Can I keep them indoors until it is warm enough to plant them outdoors (May). Anything I should be concerned about in doing that?
Knox County Ohio
Expert Response
Trees are usually shipped either potted or bare root/dormant. Do you know which stage these are in? If they were outside before shipment, where were they? (for instance, if they were outside stock in Michigan they would be hardier than outside stock coming from Florida).
Chicago Hardy figs will be borderline for surviving outside in your area. They are listed with a hardiness zone of 6-10, and Knox county has a growing zone of 5b-6a. That said, if you have a warm microclimate (an unheated hoop house, a protected south-facing wall, etc), it may do all right outside once the weather warms. See the factsheet link below for a discussion on growing these figs in Ohio.
If you are planning on growing this tree in a pot, it can be placed in any location that has sun and can be easily watered. It would be best to bring it inside in the winter into a protected area--maybe a garage or other unheated structure. It does not need light when it is dormant, which it will be after frost. The soil will need to be kept moist, even in the dormant state.
If the trees arrive dormant, unless you are planning on potting them and keeping them in bright light indoors until spring, I would recommend keeping them in a protected outside location. If they are bare root, you might consider "potting" them for ease of keeping the roots moist, but keep them outside until the chance of a hard freeze is over. If you are planting them in the soil outside, they are best put in the ground while they are still dormant. Even then, they should be protected from chilly winter winds. If they arrive potted, but dormant, just keep them in an unheated structure and keep them moist.
I have a hardy fig that I keep in the ground in an unheated hoop house. It has borne fruit the last 2 years. I am in north central Ohio--about zone 6, but the hoophouse probably raises the climate inside to closer to zone 7.
Good luck with your fig trees! Thank you for asking Extension about them.
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1439
If you are planning on growing this tree in a pot, it can be placed in any location that has sun and can be easily watered. It would be best to bring it inside in the winter into a protected area--maybe a garage or other unheated structure. It does not need light when it is dormant, which it will be after frost. The soil will need to be kept moist, even in the dormant state.
If the trees arrive dormant, unless you are planning on potting them and keeping them in bright light indoors until spring, I would recommend keeping them in a protected outside location. If they are bare root, you might consider "potting" them for ease of keeping the roots moist, but keep them outside until the chance of a hard freeze is over. If you are planting them in the soil outside, they are best put in the ground while they are still dormant. Even then, they should be protected from chilly winter winds. If they arrive potted, but dormant, just keep them in an unheated structure and keep them moist.
I have a hardy fig that I keep in the ground in an unheated hoop house. It has borne fruit the last 2 years. I am in north central Ohio--about zone 6, but the hoophouse probably raises the climate inside to closer to zone 7.
Good luck with your fig trees! Thank you for asking Extension about them.
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1439
