A Dwarf Fig Tree You Can Grow On Your Patio

Some fig trees can grow as tall as 30 feet, which makes harvesting them a bit of a challenge. You could climb on a ladder to pick the figs, but one misstep and you're in a heap of hurt. Or you could safely wait until the figs fall from the trees and then gather them, but be careful of wasps that may be lurking in the overripe figs or other wildlife that gets to the fruit before you do. And that still requires a lot of bending down to pick them off the ground. But what if you could grow a fig tree in a container on your sunny patio '– a dwarf tree that only grows 6 feet tall? Go ahead and buy the container, because we have the perfect patio fig tree that you'll want to put in that new pot '– Little Miss Figgy (Ficus carica 'Majoam' LITTLE MISS FIGGY™!

Same Sized Fig. Same Large Harvest, Just on a Conveniently Sized Tree
Documented in the patent paperwork, it's the combination of its attributes that makes Little Miss Figgy a unique fig tree. Some of these qualities include:

• Compact size. Little Miss Figgy has a patio-perfect size of 3-4 feet tall and wide. Your tree may grow to 6 feet, but typical heights are a tad shorter. Also, trees grown in the landscape may reach a taller height than container plants.

• Full-sized fruit. Some dwarf fruit trees bear tiny fruits. But not Little Miss Figgy! Most figs on standard-sized trees are 1 to 2 inches long, and Little Miss Figgy's fruits are typically 1.5 inches long '– a substantial size for such a small tree.

• Abundant fruit. Another characteristic of some dwarf fruit trees is that they barely produce enough fruits to eat. Little Miss Figgy trees are loaded with figs. In the exact wording of the patent paperwork, Little Miss Figgy "exhibits prolific production of large fruit that is present along the branches." So you'll get large fruit, lots of fruit, and fruit that is produced along the branches and not just at the branch tips like other fruiting plants!

Versatile Fig Tree Works Great Directly in The Ground!
Although Little Miss Figgy is perfectly content in pots, you can also plant it directly in your garden soil. In the landscape, you'll have much more room to plant several of these dwarf trees. Other than its edible appeal, Little Miss Figgy is a beautiful ornamental plant. Its dark-green leaves are deeply lobed, adding intriguing form to your garden design. You can plant a row of them along your property line or incorporate them into your sunny perennial border garden.

You will Not find These Exclusive Figs in Your Supermarket!
In a nutshell ?… figs don't keep well or transport well. These are very perishable fruits, which are at their best shortly after picking, and they become easily crushed during transporting. They don't continue to ripen after harvesting, so picking them early and allowing for ripening time during transport to market, which is possible with other fruits, won't work with figs. If they're refrigerated immediately after harvesting, they may stay fresh up to a week. But as soon as they're removed from cold storage, their shelf life is only a day or two. This is why if you love fresh figs, the best way to enjoy them is to grow them at home!

Save Money with this Self Fertile Fig Tree! No Pollinator Needed!
In the plant world, pollination is the key to producing fruits. For some types of fruit trees, you have to plant more than one tree for cross-pollination to result in fertilized flowers. Without fertilized flowers, you won't get any fruit. For other types of trees, you only need one tree (called self-fruitful trees) to produce fruit, because self-fruitful trees can pollinate themselves. But you won't see flowers at all on your Little Miss Figgy tree. They're there, but they are simply hidden from view. Fig flowers actually form and grow inside the fig fruits! So you can plant only one Little Miss Figgy tree for an abundant harvest of figs.

Pest- and Disease-Resistance
Little Miss Figgy is rarely bothered by insect pests or diseases. This is a definite plus for any edible crop you grow, because it means you don't have to spray chemicals on the food you'll eat. One reason fig trees are pest- and disease-tolerant is because their milky latex sap is distasteful. In fact, it's this milky sap from another species of fig tree that was the original source of rubber. If you prune your tree, which isn't needed to make it produce fruit, you'll see this sap. And if you have a latex allergy, you'll want to wear garden gloves if you have to trim a dead branch away.

Growing Guidelines
Little Miss Figgy is so easy to grow! You don't have to be a horticulturist or master gardener to grow this low-maintenance tree. The most important growing conditions are:

• Zones. Little Miss Figgy is a perennial in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7 through 11.
• Sun. Full sun is best, although trees in the hotter regions of the perennial zones can handle a little afternoon shade.
• Soil. Little Miss Figgy can handle different types of soil, but the soil must drain well to help prevent root rot, which is a problem in waterlogged soils.
• Water. These trees prosper in moist soil, although they are quite drought-tolerant once established. They respond favorably to a layer of mulch applied underneath the entire canopy, to a depth of 3 to 4 inches.
• Fertilizer. Not a lot of fertilizer is required, but to be on the safe side, check with your local Cooperative Extension Service. Based on soil-test recommendations from them, you'll know exactly if you need to apply fertilizer, what type works best in your climate, and in what amounts.

Container Growing Tips
• Use a potting mix that is specially formulated for container plants. This type of growing medium will stay looser in containers as compared to garden soil, which can become compacted in pots.

• You'll need to water your potted Little Miss Figgy tree more often in hot weather than you would water it if it were planted in the ground. Container plants dry out faster than in-ground plants, so make sure the soil in your container stays slightly moist.

• The roots of plants that are grown in the landscape are insulated by the surrounding soil. But the roots of plants that you grow in containers are held above the soil, and the pots cannot insulate the roots as well as in-ground soil. A rule of thumb is that you can leave container plants outside year-round if you live in a zone that's two zones warmer than the coldest hardiness zone of the plant. For example, Little Miss Figgy is hardy to Zone 7, so you can grow this plant year-round in an above-ground container outside if you live in Zone 9 or warmer. In Zones 7 and 8, insulate the pot during winter by wrapping it with a heavy blanket, and move the pot to a location that is protected from cold winter winds, such as next to your house or other structure. If the protected location is under the eaves of a roof, be sure to keep the plant lightly watered during winter. You can also move the container into an unheated garage if you keep it lightly watered.

Fig Trivia
• Figs are considered the earliest-known cultivated fruit because of archaeological evidence found in Jericho that dates to more than 11,000 years ago.
• These fruits used to be more valuable than gold.
• A half-cup of figs contains the same amount of calcium as a half-cup of milk.
• The first commercial introduction of figs was '– you guessed it '– Fig Newtons® (in 1892).
• Fig Newtons® were not named for a person but the town of Newton, Massachusetts, which was near the Kennedy Biscuit Works company, later named Nabisco.