Jesus saw a fig tree with leaves. Footnote 34 in The Keys of Revelation, chapter 6, provides some pertinent information. The fig tree begins to put forth tender leaf buds about the end of March. (1) At the same time, tiny figs begin to develop (with the leaves) to the size of a small cherry. Most fall off. Being immature and inferior, they are eaten only by the poor or a traveler. (These tiny figs are what Jesus was looking for.) (2) A few of these small figs continue to ripen on the tree and reach maturity in June as excellent figs. (3) In June, buds of the next crop appear higher up in the branches. These ripen and are the great crop of figs in August. Hence there are three stages of development. The second crop, the “time of [early] figs,” was the first nutritional harvest. The third crop was really the second, or general, harvest of figs. Thus Jesus cursed a fig tree that did not have even the first tiny figs, and this was prior to the two harvests.
Jesus was truly hungry. In other words, he did not premeditate the fig tree scene. When he saw leaves at Passover time, he assumed the tiny immature figs would be there too. Upon seeing no fruit, he realized there was a reason, a providence, for this situation. Of course he knew the fig tree pictured the Jewish nation.