Tropic Of Canada

Ischia Fig Bareroot

History: Although we do not know for sure, it is likely we carry the Green or White Ischia fig (there has historically been a lot of confusion between the two!). Ischia figs were introduced to the English-speaking world by Philip Miller in his book The Gardeners Dictionary (note: it uses the old English spelling "ifchia"), the first edition of which was published in 1731. He allegedly claimed that several fig varieties he brought to England were from the Italian island Ischia although some say he may have lost or destroyed the original labels on some Italian figs and simply named them after different islands. Regardless, the Ischia figs have been popular in Europe for centuries and are still grown today. 

Why We Grow It: Ischia has greenish-yellow skin which makes it less appealing to birds while on the tree! Despite its rather unassuming exterior, these figs contain vibrant red flesh with an excellent, rich flavour - try peeling it and adding it to all manner of salads! It is known to be a very productive variety and due to its compact growth it is ideal for container growing. 

$35.00

Size:

3 low in stock

Fruit Traits:

Recommended Use: Fresh eating, preserves, dried; leaves make an interesting seasoning dried (optionally toasted) and powdered, and can be used in tea and canning too.

Fruit Size: Medium

Storage: Best enjoyed within 2-3 days

Harvest: July - September

Tree Traits:

Canadian Hardiness Zone: 5-6 if given sufficient winter protection

Soil Preferance: Sandy loam and loam, plenty or organic material. Prefers well-drained soils.

Flowering Time:

Pollination Requirements: Self-pollinating

Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

General Growth Habit: Compact growth habit, skin tends to be a little tougher, making it less prone to cracking and becoming infested with ants. The skin also blends in more with the plant, making it less eye-catching/attractive than purple/black skinned varieties. Good rot resistance (closed eye).

Shipping: Every year we ship thousands of plants across Canada. We carefully bag roots in damp sawdust, then box them and send them out via courier. CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

Pick-up: We also have thousands of trees picked up from our nursery each year. The pick-up options is free, though you must wait until you have been emailed a confirmation that your order is ready to pick up, which will have further information such as hours, locations, etc.

Our figs are divided into the following grades:
• 1 year plant - <30cm
• 2 year plant - 30-100cm

All of these heights exclude the roots since some plants will often have a lot of root growth but relatively little vegetative growth (ex. our Shagbark Hickories seedlings are often 5-15cm above the soil but will have roots that reach 20cm+ in length).

Not all of our plants will be available in all of these grades since growth rate can vary significantly across species and even varieties. While we remain competitive in our plant size, it's also worth noting we don't use synthetic chemicals to push vegetative growth, therefore you may find conventional nursery stock larger in some instances comparatively.
Why plant small? It's best to transplant when a plant is young so it can establish its roots before it has a lot of vegetative growth. This is much less stressful on it and bareroot plants tend to catch up and even surpass larger potted ones planted at the same time, after a few years.


Orders that are cancelled last minute due to size (being "too small"), will still incur the applicable cancellation fees if the plants are true to our grading standards as per the agreement of sale when the order was placed.

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