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Another newbie question

I got a fig tree in early April that was marked "Celeste".

It was a single older wood stem and had three newer
branches developing on it.  We've had some ups & downs
(temperature-wise) but I've managed to protect it from
anything fatal (to this point).  Just yesterday I noticed that
there are three little figs forming on one of the new branches.
When I bought this plant, it came in a one-gallon container
and was root-bound.  It's now in a three-gallon container.
I'm assuming that means this is its second year.  My newbie
question is- do I leave the one little figlet closest to the stem
and remove any that form further out?  I understand that the
one I leave may or may not develop to maturity, but I think
I would like to try to get at least one, or one per branch, to
mature this year.  Is that unreasonable?  Thanks in advance
for your help!
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Try to keep one it's worth a try who knows it may ripen!! but in my experience when I leave figs on a really young tree they never seem to fully ripen or they end up tasting blah!!  Hey give it a shot you never know!! I have learned the hard way that the first two years of a trees life should be devoted to branch and leaf development rather than fruit production. 
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Thank you Will- that was my thought as well

but I'm so new to figs- I don't want to wait!
I am thinking that it might be worth chancing
it to see if the one I leave might make it to 
maturity.  I was thinking if I knocked off all
but the closest to the stem, there might be 
enough energy for roots and leaves as well
as a single fig.  We can't even buy fresh figs
around here.  They sell dried figs in the prune
and raisin section of the store, but I've never
tried one- I've only ever eaten them fresh off
the tree- and I want that taste again!!
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I hear you pam once you have a fresh fig straight from a tree you become kind of spoiled lol!!  I'm not gonna lie I do buy fresh figs when the grocery store has them but the problem is the farmers pick them before they are totally ripe so they never taste as good as if they are left on the tree to ripen not to mention they are EXPENSIVE!! Hey pam private message me with your full name and shipping address I would like to send you a little present that I think you will enjoy!!
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The fresh figs I had right from the tree were HOT, it was

in southern Turkey and the sun was blazing!!  I have never
had anything even close to that flavor since.  I don't know
about dried figs- would kinda like to taste them, but really
don't want to ruin that memory of fresh figs hot off the tree.  
LOL How's that for a phrase?  Hot off the tree?
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Pami I got your p.m. no worries Im ok with that!! one hand washes the other!! one day I may need your help!!
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Ditto, figs on young trees just have no taste.  Now, next year?  You will jumping high trying to reach the sky!

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I doubt you'll get anything worth eating, but when nearly all of my newly rooted cuttings started getting little figs last year, I left one on each tree to see what would happen. As I recall, all but one (Violette de Bordeaux) eventually withered without ripening, but that one was at least mildly sweet. Also, a late-season, green-wood cutting from a neighbor's tree (I'm virtually certain it's a Kadota, but am waiting to compare it with a known Kadota from UCD) got more than 20 little figs on it the following spring, and ripened two or three. Again, the flavor was nothing to write home about, but the fun of seeing them ripen made it well worth leaving a few on the tree.


I've heard several experienced people say that it's better for very young trees to remove any fruit, and that's probably true. On the other hand, I didn't notice any problems with mine, and being a newbie myself, I just wanted to see some figs. Most of them have figs growing this year as well, but unless I can see that a tree is struggling, I intend to just leave them alone to ripen, or not--I don't think the consequences will be too serious either way.
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