Don't Give a Fig!

My relatively young outdoor fig tree has produced half a dozen eatable figs this year.  It has quite a few largish but hard figs on it  which I would think are unlikely  to ripen now.  Should these be removed or is this next year's fruit that I would be destroying? 

Any advice gratefully received.   

Thankyou in advance

Jo

Many thanks for your recent fig-related enquiry.   Figs in cooler climes only produce one crop of fruit per year and providing they are protected from frost, the young fruits overwinter on the tree. These pea-sized figs will ripen the following summer and autumn, so if you have fruits matching this description – leave them alone!   If your fig is protected by growing under glass, it may produce a second yearly crop. If these figs do not mature by mid-autumn, it’s best to remove the fruits and after reading your message, it seems this may be the case in your garden. If so, it’s safe to remove these figs now as the pea-shaped fruits I mentioned earlier will provide next year’s crop.   You’ll probably be aware that figs are ready for picking once they become soft and hang downwards, and don’t forget to pinch out the tips of shoots in the summer; this encourages embryonic pea-shaped figs to develop during the autumn and helps ensure a good crop the following year.        

Martin