On Wed, 3 Nov 2010, wrote:

It sounds like the first small fruits failed to overwinter for you last
year, the fruit still on the tree will not ripen now and can be removed,
next years fruits are still tiny button like buds in the axials, we ate
our last figs on 12th October from the Brown Turkey, first figs were in
late July.

Ah, ok. Yes, this was the first year it had any fruit, so I guess it needed
to have baby-figs last year, which didn't come.

Do I /have/ to remove the unripe fruit, or can I just leave them to do their
own stuff?

I was given a tip by my daughter a few years ago - and it worked!

My experience was exactly the same as yours and I never got any figs to
ripen. Emma told me to remove ALL the unripe figs now and then the new
figs next year will ripen. She was right, and I started getting figs to
ripen. Last year I forgot to remove them. This year - no figs again!

When I get home I must remember to remove the hundreds of small green
figs on my tree ......

David

--
David Rance
writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France