FABULOUS FIGS!
Kitchen Garden|October 2022
Figs are exotic, delicious, attractive and easy to care for. What more can you expect from a fruit tree? asks nurseryman and fruit
David Patch
FABULOUS FIGS!

A fig tree towards the end of the summer is surely one of the most glorious sights for any gardener. The foliage, large and bold, tends to stay in good shape, and provides a lush backdrop at a time when many other plants are looking past their best. The fruit, which like a watched pot have remained small and unripe for months, start to swell and change colour, until there is that tell-tale drop of nectar at the base which signals it is perfectly ripe and ready to eat.

I think a fig tree (along with a quince) is one of the most decorative and delicious fruit trees it is possible to own, and every garden should have one. This month we will look at this most fabled of fruit and discover how it is possible to grow one in even the smallest of spaces.

A POTTED HISTORY Figs are some of the oldest fruit known to man, and certainly one of the first that were cultivated as a crop. Subfossils of fig fruits have been found in the remains of a Neolithic village on the border between Jordan and Israel, and date back over 11,000 years – long before wheat or barley were domesticated. Figs were well known to the Ancient Greeks and Romans (the writer Pliny described more than 30 different varieties, including ‘Kadota’ which can still be found for sale today), and they became widespread throughout the world from the 15th century onwards, from Afghanistan to Portugal, to India and over to the New World. It is thought that Cardinal Reginald Pole introduced the fig to the UK in the 1500s – one of the original trees planted in 1556 is still growing in the gardens at Lambeth Palace to this day.

Bu hikaye Kitchen Garden dergisinin October 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Kitchen Garden dergisinin October 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

KITCHEN GARDEN DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
Kitchen Garden

SEPTEMBER SPECIALS

This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious

time-read
5 dak  |
September 2024
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
Kitchen Garden

FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES

September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries

time-read
5 dak  |
September 2024
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Kitchen Garden

SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN

Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott

time-read
5 dak  |
September 2024
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
Kitchen Garden

A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS

KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years

time-read
5 dak  |
September 2024
RESTORING THE BALANCE
Kitchen Garden

RESTORING THE BALANCE

The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why

time-read
4 dak  |
September 2024
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Kitchen Garden

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality

time-read
3 dak  |
September 2024
Celebrating Organic September!
Kitchen Garden

Celebrating Organic September!

In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive

time-read
5 dak  |
September 2024
SEEING RED
Kitchen Garden

SEEING RED

Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple

time-read
6 dak  |
September 2024
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Kitchen Garden

NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!

Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try

time-read
5 dak  |
September 2024
A NEW kitchen garden
Kitchen Garden

A NEW kitchen garden

Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!

time-read
5 dak  |
September 2024