My daughter has asked me to see if I could find a fig that would survive in Calgary. Any suggestions?
An old German born uncle, a post-Victorian scientist, had a fig in New Jersey. Wetter than Calgary, more snow, but less frozen. Even with acid soil, and deep oak shade, he grew the same figs year to year. Don't know what variety but they were green when mature, maybe a blush of brown on them. So he grew them in less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps you can too. Go for California types that are rated for colder temps. That will usually be the darker colored figs that love your drier alkaline soil. My uncle pruned it every year so that he had whips come up and form a cluster, then when winter approached, he would peg the whips down on a bed of straw, cover with burlap, then layer deep composting mulch on top. So it looks like a compost pile for much of the year. If you can grow them at all, you will have to protect the roots and shoots from freeze. I'd bet a working compost would be the best mulch for this because you'll need the warmth. Probably a west facing wall, too. If I were you, I'd go online and research fruit tree providers that are either Canadian or at least northern US, and look at their dark figs to see which ones are rated for USDA 3-4. I'd guess Edmonton is a USDA 3. My tendency is to go with something that is comfortable in my range rather than pushing the limits. I'm USDA Zone 9, but if it doesn't grow in Z. 8 or Z. 10, it's probably not worth it to me. That said, figs are described as tropical, so it may not be possible at all.
