Q.Fig trees
It’s December and we have had alternating very wet and very dry weather this year. Our mature fig trees on the lower TX coast have lost their leaves, but still have smallish, hard green fruit on the trees. There was no edible fig crop this year. Should the immature fruit be removed now? Are they sapping the strength of the trees?

The usual rule of thumb is to remove any fig fruit that are larger that pea-sized in the fall. Tiny fruit that are pea-sized or smaller should be left on, since they will become the fruit for next year that will hopefully mature next summer. This way, the tree will focus on the fruit that have a chance to mature.