Before entering Jerusalem Jesus sent His disciples to Bethphage to find things which were to be brought to Him (Matthew 21:1, Mark 11:1, and Luke 19:29). Bethphage means "house of unripe figs" [G967-Bethphage]. Figs picked too early will not ripen and a "house of unripe figs" is a place where figs taken from the tree too soon would be kept.
The first figs are actually from last years growth and they and the leaves both appear in the spring:
And seeing in the distance a fig tree [covered] with leaves, He went to see if He could find any [fruit] on it [for in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves]. But when He came up to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the fig season had not yet come. (Mark 11:13 AMPC)
Mark records the "season" for figs had not yet come. Season is καιρὸς – kairos. When used in an agricultural context it means harvest time [G2540-kairos]. For example:
Then he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey. At harvest time (καιρῷ) he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his portion of the crop. (Mark 12:1-2 NET)
The man did not attempt to collect his portion when the leaves appeared or when the grapes first appeared. He waited until the fruit had ripened on the vine and was "in season."
Leaves by themselves are never a sign figs are ripe or "in season." Depending on climate two additional months are needed before they should be harvested (or eaten). In Israel the first crop is normally ripe in June. They would never be ripe at the time of Passover. While someone who is hungry would normally look for figs which were ripe (either on the tree or dried), Mark makes it clear Jesus sought figs which were "out of season." These figs would be unripe and not very good to eat.
Nevertheless, the existence of Bethphage, a house of unripe figs, shows that Jesus is not alone in seeking out unripe figs. There are others who actually harvested them raising the possibility the tree which Jesus went to had produced fruit which someone else had already removed and taken to Bethphage, the house of unripe figs.
Matthew describes a similar event:
After noticing a fig tree by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!”… (Matthew 21:19 NET)
In addition to making no mention of season, there is a difference between taking and eating the fruit:
Mark: He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again."... (11:14 NET)
Matthew: …He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!”... (21:19 NET)
Each conveys a similar message from a different perspective. Matthew places the emphasis on the tree never again producing fruit. Immediately it withers; this tree will never again produce figs. In Mark Jesus states a person will never again eat fruit from this tree (and the tree is observed by Peter the following day). The command in Mark does not necessarily require the tree to die. For example, a similar command was given in the Garden of Eden:
Then the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17 NET)
As in Mark this tree was never to be eaten from (or eaten from again). Significantly, leaves from a fig tree are also found in the Genesis account:
Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 3:7 NET)
The Gospel events highlighting fig leaves and missing fruit are deliberate actions by Jesus to recall the history of man. The first man and woman were not to eat fruit from a certain tree and after they ate they used leaves from a fig tree to cover themselves.
The common element is fig leaves calling attention to the first man and woman who took fruit which was supposed to be left on the tree and used leaves from a fig tree to try and cover themselves.
The timing of the result of Jesus speaking to the trees also follows the events of the Garden of Eden. The fruit on the tree remained, but no one would ever again eat from this tree. The leaves which they used to make aprons became unnecessary on the same day after the LORD God made tunics of animal skins:
The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)