Growing figs outdoors in Britain: which fruit to keep

Your fig is covered in hard green fruit every autumn and none of it ever ripens. That isn't a fault with your tree. A fig carries two crops at once, and in a British summer only one of them has time to ripen. Learn to tell the two apart and you'll know which fruit to pull off and which to protect, which is most of what it takes to get figs outdoors here.

01At a glance

The crop you eat: pea-sized figs that form at the shoot tips in late summer, sit through winter, and ripen the following summer.
The crop you remove: bigger green figs still on the tree in autumn. Outdoors they rarely ripen.
Winter job: protect those tiny tip figs from frost. Lose them and you lose next year's crop.
Roots: keep them confined, in a lined pit or a pot, or you get a big leafy tree and very little fruit.
Gloves: the RHS warns the sap is an irritant, so wear gloves when pruning or picking off fruit.

02Two crops, one tree

The RHS describes it like this. The first crop starts as tiny embryo figs at the tips of the branches in late summer. They stay pea-sized through winter, swell in spring and ripen the following summer. The second crop forms on the current year's shoots in spring and early summer. That's the crop you see as plump green figs in September. Outdoors in the UK it rarely ripens before the cold comes, and it just stays hard and green.

In a greenhouse, both crops may ripen in a good summer. Outside, plan for one. You don't need a second tree or any pollinating insects either. Garden figs set fruit without pollination.

03What to do in autumn and winter

Pick off every fig bigger than a pea. The RHS puts this job at the end of summer in one guide and mid-autumn in another, so do it any time from late September to November. Outdoors they're unlikely to ripen.
Leave the pea-sized ones at the shoot tips alone. Those are next summer's figs.
Protect a wall-trained fig once the leaves have fallen. Pack straw or bracken around the branches and hold it in place with netting, or cover it with hessian or fleece. The RHS says the little tip figs are prone to frost damage, and frost can ruin the following year's crop.
Move a potted fig under cover. An unheated greenhouse, shed or porch is enough. Keep it there until the last frost has passed in late spring.
Unwrap gradually in spring as growth starts, not all in one go.

04Spring and early summer

Prune in early to mid-spring, after the last hard frost. On a fan, the RHS suggests thinning last year's young shoots by about a third, cutting back to a 2.5cm stub.
Pinch out shoot tips in early summer. On a bush, pinch new shoots once they have five or six leaves. On a fan, the RHS says to take the tip from every other young shoot once it has five leaves. Stop by midsummer, when next year's embryo figs start forming at the shoot tips.
Feed potted figs fortnightly with a high-potassium liquid feed through the growing season, until the fruit starts to ripen in late summer.

Ripe figs are soft and hang limply, and may show a sugary drop at the "eye".

05Keep the roots cramped

A fig with nowhere to stop its roots puts its energy into leaves. To plant in the ground, the RHS suggests digging a hole 60cm deep and wide. Line the sides with upright paving slabs that stand about 2.5cm above soil level. Leave the base unlined and put in a 10 to 20cm layer of rubble or stones. Plant at least 20cm out from the wall. Check now and then for roots escaping over the slabs and cut them off.

In a pot, start a young tree in one about 30cm wide and deep, in soil-based compost. Repot every couple of years in March into a pot only slightly bigger. On the right site, a sunny south- or south-west-facing wall, our fig profile covers the rest. 'Brown Turkey' is the most widely available variety and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

06Mistakes that cost you figs

Leaving the big green figs on. Outdoors they rarely ripen, and the RHS advises removing them.
Rubbing off the tiny tip figs because they look like nothing much. They're the whole crop.
Pinching shoots late in summer. It removes the shoot tips where next year's embryo figs are forming.

Save your money

Don't buy a second fig "for pollination". Garden figs don't need one.

Use old paving slabs and builders' rubble for the root pit. They do the same job as a bought root-control bag.

Straw, bracken or an old sheet of fleece will do for winter protection. You don't need a special fig jacket.

Before pruning, or planting where children or pets play, check the safety flags on our fig profile.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — Figs: grow your own · RHS — Figs: pruning and training

Checked 8 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.