If you are live in South Florida where the winters get a chill, figs are a fantastic choice that is easy to grow.
They require at least 100 hours at 45ºF or lower over the winter. Dormant trees can take temperatures down to 20ºF. The trees grow strangely, more like a low growing bush with lanky branches. The leaves get spots of disease and you can spray with copper fungicide however the tree keeps growing and producing without the extra work so why bother? We do gather the dropped diseased leaves and throw them away though.
In 9 months, the most I have done with them, is to prune the lower branches off so that they don't sag to the ground.
They are easy to propagate should root knot nematodes damage your roots. Just take a cutting of a branch and shove it into some moist soil and keep moist. I find this easier to do with a pot and potting soil than in the ground during our dry winter. During the summer rainy period it is easy to start in the ground.
Figs also grow well in pots. Ours were in 15-gallon pots for several years until we acquired the lot next door. Now they grow in the ground because we have the room.
I will add some photos of my trees shortly and update this post on the blog so check back.
The UF/IFAS fact sheet is here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg214
