Fig (Ficus carica)
Interesting facts
The fig is a promising candidate for rising temperatures. The hot summers of 2018 and 2019 brought many fig growers a bountiful harvest.
In warmer regions, such as Spain and Portugal, the fig tree can bear fruit up to three times a year; in colder regions, people are happy if the fruit ripens at all.
A mild winter is needed for this, as the pinhead-sized fruits begin to develop as early as October and freeze at temperatures below -5 °C. If a warm summer follows, the fruits ripen.
A heat-retaining environment naturally acts as a catalyst for ripening. In cooler years, when the fig tree isn't bearing fruit, its leaves can be used in the kitchen as a "wrap" for grilling or cooking. The wrapped foods thus acquire an aroma reminiscent of Indian cuisine.
You can also experiment with fig juice. Just a few drops make milk turn cheese! There's plenty of information on this topic online. It's advisable to look for fig varieties that ripen even in lower summer temperatures, yet are still sufficiently hardy. 'Brown Turkey' and 'Madeleine de deux Saisons', for example, are highly praised; both can even bear fruit twice in warmer years.
Winter hardiness zone: from 7
