I'm always amazed when I watch Olympic athletes put their bodies through their paces. After all, most of the contenders have trained their entire lives. Then I get to watch the best of the best compete.

I imagine that Olympic events must have been just as entertaining 28 centuries ago when they were first held in ancient Greece, and just like today, ancient Olympian athletes trained hard.

But also like today, Olympic training revolved around dieting, with an athlete's diet often determining the difference between winning and losing.

Incidentally, Michael Phelps, now the most decorated gold medalist in Olympic history, consumes more than 10,000 calories a day when he's training and competing!

Fruit of champions

Fruit was an essential component of an ancient Olympian's diet, and although the recommended diets periodically changed from time to time, the most popular fruit of ancient Olympians was the fig. Figs were so popular, in fact, these sugary fruits were eaten by athletes during every meal.

I can understand why, too. One fresh fig has 35 calories and its dry counterpart contains 50 calories. So eating several fresh or dry figs delivers a quick energy boost.

Now I'm wondering, do you think Phelps knows about figs?

Figs

Figs are native to the Mediterranean, and the archaeological evidence suggests that they were first cultivated as far back as 12,000 years ago.

Unfortunately, because of our cold winters, getting ripe fruit from a fig tree here is a challenge. Even so, it can be done if the gardener is committed and growing conditions are correct.

Fortunately, figs are practically pest-free and don't require spraying. They do require a long growing season, because they produce their first of potentially two crops -- weather permitting -- on last year's wood.

In other words, when a fig tree is taken by frost and dies back to its roots, a new tree must first develop before any fruits are produced. Way too often, this means no figs are harvested prior to October.

So what's a gardener to do?

Start with a fig variety -- like "Brown Turkey" -- that's more cold-tolerant. Then site the tree where it will least likely succumb to an early freeze, such as up against a south-facing wall.

To further guarantee a fig-tree crop, the tree's branches must be protected from freezing temperatures. If the specimen is kept short, it can be surrounded within a chicken-wire cage. The cage can then be stuffed with an insulating material such as straw.

Additionally, a fig tree that's been potted can be moved to an unheated garage where it can be kept from freezing.

In the meantime, while I'm waiting for our figs to ripen, I have a few Fig Newtons stashed within reach of the TV for the extra energy I require to root for all of my favorite athletes.

This week in the garden

Most tomato varieties can't set fruit when nighttime temperatures exceed 80 degrees. So don't worry if your tomato blossoms fall off and fail to fruit. Be patient. Upcoming cooler evening temperatures will increase your tomato output.

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