CropsFig › Rouge de Bordeaux

Rouge de Bordeaux
Fig in the UK

This is a dependable fig for UK gardeners, known for its two crops of fruit. It thrives best when planted against a warm wall or in a container.

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How to grow it

You're looking at sowing fig seeds from about March through to May, best done indoors where it's warm and cosy. Pop 'em about 1cm deep in small pots of good compost, give 'em a drink and keep 'em on a sunny windowsill or in a propagator. They need a steady temperature, ideally around 18-21°C, to get going properly. Takes a while for 'em to germinate, so be patient, like. You won't find plug plants for these generally, it's a seed job or buying a young plant.

Once your seedlings are big enough to handle, prick 'em out carefully into individual 9cm pots. Let 'em grow on in a bright, frost-free spot. When the risk of frost has well and truly passed – that's usually mid to late May up here, a bit earlier further south – you can start hardening them off. Plant 'em into big pots, at least 45-60cm across, or a lined pit in the ground to restrict their roots; that's key for getting proper fruit.

Full Fig guide →

More Fig varieties

Track your Fig from packet to plate

Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.

Tony C Smith
Tony C Smith

Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.