POTTSTOWN PA – Despite rainy weather, last year’s inaugural Pennsylvania Fig Festival attracted more than 400 people interested in almost everything “fig.” It’s no surprise, then, that the festival is scheduled to return Sept. 13 (2025; Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to its original site, Althouse Arboretum, 1794 Gilbertsville Rd.
Self-proclaimed fig grower Donna Howard Wethey, development coordinator for the arboretum’s non-profit operator GreenAllies, is again among 2025 festival organizers.
“The region’s biggest and brightest fig tree growers will be selling trees and sharing their expertise in workshops,” she reports. Also, fig experts from across Pennsylvania and nearby states will be on-site with a wide variety of fig trees for purchase, from classic heirlooms to rare and cold-hardy varieties.
Visitors can expect to find other entertainment, too. Among them will be fig-based treats, live music, and fig tree raffle.
Top photo © inspirestock, 123RF Free Images, used by Travels With The Post under license
Educational Workshops Scheduled
The fig festival is the only of its kind in the state, Wethey adds, with a specific focus on education, community, and cultivation. It intends to showcase top regional fig tree growers, and offer hands-on informational sessions “for fig lovers of all experience levels.” Those who attend can join interactive workshops covering:
- Fig Tree Grafting,
- Fig Tree Espalier,
- Fig Tree Propagation,
- Winter Protection Techniques,
- Soil, Water, and Fertilizer Essentials, and
- Rare Variety Showcases.
Entire families can attend, with an admission fee of $10 per car at the entrance. The event is suitable for all ages. For more information, send an e-mail to donna@green-allies.org, or call 267-371-2288.
Hands holding figs photo by Doug Oster, provided by Penn State Extension
Spring and Summer Outside, Winters Inside
Pennsylvania winters and cold temperatures are not a natural environment for fig trees, the Master Gardeners of Penn State Extension admit. Several varieties of fig trees or bushes, however, can do well as container plants brought inside during winter’s harshest months, they report.
Depending on the variety and the grower’s protective measures, they also can survive in-ground. The state’s increasingly mild winters help. Fig trees thrive outside in spring and summer under bright sun.
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