Olive Trees
Olive Trees
Bring the Mediterranean to your home!
The olive tree, better known as the tree of eternity, has been cultivated for over 6,000 years. In fact, it is believed to help with the rise of ancient greek and roman empires. This ancient tree is known not only for its tender and succulently tart flavor, richly golden oils, and incredible stamina, but it also helps strengthen heart health. According to the FDA, eating about 2 tablespoons of olive oil per day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
| Olive Type | Growing Zone | Harvest | Mature Height | Year to Bear | Annual Growth | Spacing | Full or Partial Sun | Characteristics |
| Arbequina | Container/Indoor: 4-11 Outdoors: 8-11 | Oct-Nov | 20ft | 0 to 1 year | About 2ft Annualy | 8-10ft | Full Sun | Small Spanish Olive tree from Catalonia, Spain. weeping blue-green leaves, ideal for small gardens Produces soft Spanish olive oil. |
| Koroeike Greek | Container/Indoor: 4-11 Outdoors: 8-11 | EarlyOct-Jan | 15-20ft | 1st year | About 2ft Annualy | 16-22ft | Full/Partial Sun | Small Greek Olive tree from Athens, Greece, has two toned light and dark green leaves Produces fragrant cream colored flowers & sometimes produces both black and green olives. Makes velvety extra virgin olive oil. |
| Olive Type: | Arbequina |
| Growing Zone | Container/Indoor: 4-11 Outdoors: 8-11 |
| Harvest | Oct-Nov |
| Mature Height | 20ft |
| Year to Bear | 0 to 1 Year |
| Annual Growth | 2ft Annualy |
| Spacing | 8-10ft |
| Full or partial Sun | Full Sun |
| Characteristics | Small Greek Olive tree from Athens, Greece, has two toned light and dark green leaves Produces fragrant cream colored flowers & sometimes produces both black and green olives. Makes velvety extra virgin olive oil. |
| Olive Type: | Koroeiki Greek |
| Growing Zone | Container/Indoor: 4-11 Outdoors: 8-11 |
| Harvest | Early Oct-Jan |
| Mature Height | 15-20ft |
| Year to Bear | 1st Year |
| Annual Growth | 2ft Annualy |
| Spacing | 16-22ft |
| Full or Partial Sun | Full/Partial Sun |
| Characteristics | Small Greek Olive tree from Athens, Greece, has two toned light and dark green leaves Produces fragrant cream colored flowers & sometimes produces both black and green olives. Makes velvety extra virgin olive oil. |
Where to Plant Olive Trees
Adored for its elegant structure and poised blue green leaves, this tree will look amazing as a potted plant or a year round tree in your yard. If you’re planting the Arbequina tree, whether it’s in a pot or in the ground, you should place it in an area that gets a full 6 to 8 hours of direct afternoon sunlight per day. If you’re going to grow this tree indoors, make sure that the leaves aren’t touching the window, because the sunlight will be intensified causing your leaves to burn.
The Koroeiki Greek tree can thrive off of full sun or partial sun, making it the perfect plant if you have limited amount of sunlight.
Planting your Olive Tree
When planting your Olive tree in a container, choose a pot that is twice the size of the growing pot it was shipped in so that the roots have room to get established and also has drainage holes at the bottom. Container grown plants require more watering than those planted in the ground, so make sure that you water the soil until it is soaked leaving time in between for the soil to dry.
If you’re planting your tree in the ground, wait until the spring, April or May, so that it has the entire summer to get established into the ground before winter comes. Dig a hole that is two to three times wider and deeper than the container it was shipped in, so that those roots have enough room to get established. Water your tree about twice a week until the roots mature, and mulch the surface to help conserve the moisture.
Container grown olive trees tend to grow quicker than those that are planted in the ground. Make sure to prune the tree if the canopy becomes too thick, removing any branches, and dead wood, to let more light into the center of the tree.
Pollination
Both the Arbequina and the Koroeiki Greek Olives are self-fertile, which means you can get a lot of fruit without a pollinator. What makes these trees so unique, is the fact that they are mostly pollinated by the wind. The trees help the pollination by distributing the pollen from the anther to the stigma. If you would like to get an abundance of fruit, then you can cross pollinate the Arbequina with the Koroeiki.
Harvest
The olive taste you prefer will depend on when you should harvest them. All olives turn a blackish-purple color once they mature. These olives will produce a nice golden olive oil and have much more flavor than those that are green. Green olives are harvested when they’re immature. They still produce oil, but it has more of a bitter taste compared to the richness that mature olive oil makes. Arbequina Olives are ready to harvest as early as October through January. Koroeiki Greek Olives can be harvested October through November.
