Will probably ripen next year. Hang on in there.

Is the fig tree in a container or in the ground? Either way figs won't ripen on the tree if it has not been getting enough water and or not being fed fertilizer on a regular basis and this is a critical factor if you have it in a container. The other possibility is that it is under attack by some pest.

Loosestrife - its most likely the weather here - we've had a cooler than usual summer (except for one blast of heat for about 5 days), hardly any sun for the last 3 weeks, and temperatures now are more like October than September. In fact, I'm just about to put the heating on for a little while, my fingers and toes are cold...

Yes, from reading some of the blogs and questions I have gotten the impression that your growing season was an unusual one this year. So this poor fig tree has been stressed weather wise. Well, in that case, better luck next year Ladyessex. Thanks for the info Bamboo!

If the fig tree is in the ground it shouldn't need feeding at all Loosestrife. They grow in extremely poor soil in the Med. area with very little rain in summer too. I'd put it down to our dreadful summer, more like November than October here Bamboo, Bulba and I were out birdwatching earlier and had five layers on!

Figs need heat to ripen, it's true. We feed figs regularly here in the desert, but in the naturally rich soil in the UK that probably won't be necessary. In sandy or gravelly soil, a yearly application of organic fertilizer may be useful.

No-one feeds the fig trees in the Mediterranean countries they grow wild in places and are fantastic!

Thanks for all the info.
It has been in the ground for 20yrs now, we have had a glutton of figs in the past & some years it has a rest it seems, I have since looked into it more & yes a lack of rain & heat as you say seem like the problem. I watched something on the internet, the guy said to cut all the leaves off also cut some of the growing tips off & they may ripen like his did but that wasn't in this country.

I wouldn't do anything personally...

Figs growing in their native habitat, with the rainfall that they evolved with, will need very little feeding, though fruit production will be highly variable. That last is why commercial growers feed lightly, when needed. Recommendations for fig culture include feeding with nitrogen when less than 30cm of new growth occurs each year. I considered it possible that in poor stony or sandy soils, with the UK's higher rainfall washing out nutrients, some well rotted manure may be appreciated by the trees-as in the Bible verse.

Luke 13:6-9

Again I'm struck by the religiosity of you guys from the States when compared with us British... its quite an extraordinary difference I think. I was once religious, but like most others brought up Christian here, am much more secular and haven't picked up a bible since I was 14... odd how societies change.

Anyway, I really wanted to say it was blooming freezing in West London last night, well not literally, but the temperature dropped to 10 degrees C - weird for early September... but I live in hope of something approaching an Indian autumn!

Bamboo, maybe we're religious or maybe were just well read.

Maybe...

Amen.

Hmm...maybe more Baptists and Pentacostals here than there. On average, they tend to be more vocal than Anglicans or Episcopals. I'll admit that I used the Bible reference, because I could find so few modern and practical references to fig culture in the Mediterranean.

Rock Of Ages!!! Here is a master gardener who leaves no stone unturned!

Thanks, Loosestrife! Unfortunately, here in the desert, you never know what you will find when you turn over a stone! :)

More Sand LOL

Or a snake...

Or a scorpion, or a centipede, or...aarrgghh!! What is THAT?! :)

Hmm, probably best not to turn the rocks over, Tug;-))

Rocks? No problem with that but just before you put your shoes or slippers on in the morning it's a good idea to bang them on the floor to knock out any scorpions or tarantulas out that might have crawled in them to get out of the coming days heat after a night of foraging.