Figs

I have been babying my fig tree for about 5 years now. It was planted in a big barrel - one of those old fashioned wooden ones, big enough for me to get in. It has no bottom so by now the fig may well have grown into the ground.

When i got her she was only about a foot tall and threw out a handful of teeny little fruits which i plucked off (thinking this would let her mature and grow instead of making food).

Last year i thought id let her try and produce fruit, since she's now about 8 foot tall and quite mature, she gets green figs to about the size of a golf ball, sometimes a little bigger but they don't ripen.

I'm wondering what to do for her this year to actually get some fruit! Does she need to be fertilized by another fig? Should i pluck most of the immature fruits off (there are loads, maybe too much for her to grow?) If i feed her some special food will it give her more energy to produce fruit or is it as simple as needing to get her a friend!?

Any ideas?

I'm in South Canterbury too - i think i know where you live and we're in the same town so thats probably my problem too, i did read they like 8 hours of sun a day and i don't know if shes getting that.