Fig training: Make a fan

’TIS THE SEASON for fat, ripe figs. If you can offer 4m (13ft) of south- or south-west-facing horizontal wall space, you can establish a lusciousleaved fig fan. In cooler parts of the UK, you may need to grow your fig as a bush in a container to overwinter under cover. Figs carry several fruit crops, but in our climate, only the tiny ‘embryo’ fruit that form in autumn and grow over winter will ripen to maturity – but if they get hit by frost the crop is lost. 1. Choose a south-facing wall or fence with vine eyes and horizontal wires for support. Figs need a well-drained relatively infertile soil: if the ground is too rich, plants put on lush growth at the expense of fruit. To reduce their vigour, dig out a 60cm (2ft) square pit at the wall’s base. Insert paving slabs on three sides to form a square and add a layer of coarse grit and rubble before refilling with a mix of garden soil and compost. 2. To establish a fan, prune back a single-stemmed fig in

spring to 40cm (16in). This will encourage the growth of two strong lateral arms that can be cut back the following spring by half. From these you can train a series of sideshoots (ribs) evenly spaced across the wall to build up the fan’s frame work, taking them back by a third each year. 3. Prune established plants twice a year.

In spring, remove any shoots that are growing into the wall or are crossing, damaged or too vigorous. Remove a fraction of the oldest wood to encourage younger shoots, and cut some sideshoots back to a single bud. In summer, pinch out the growing tips of all new shoots (that aren’t needed to fill in the structure) once they’ve reached six leaves.