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Olives add plenty to the garden and landscape with their soft gray-green foliage, tall elegant habit and abundance of fruit in autumn. Olives originate from the hot arid parts of the world where deeply worked soils and plenty of rainfall are not common. There ability to thrive in poor, shallow soils with little of no water make then a good choice for many areas throughout NZ.

Varieties:

A wide range of types are available – some of the more common ones area:

Barnea: very high yielding, good oil content. Fruits small. A fast growing and bushy tree.

Manzanillo: spreading tree with large fruit, Ripens early. Average oil content.

J.5: heavy crops, large fruit. Great for NZ conditions

Rakino: NZ hybrid. Ideal for coastal conditions. Hardy upright growth, medium fruit.

Fantoio: small fruit, ripens late. Grows to approx 8m. Cold resistant

When, where and how to plant:

Plant trees in a sunny position in free draining soil. Olives make a fantastic hedge that will tolerate wind and even coastal conditions. Olives can be planted in containers or singularly in orchards, they tolerate frost and cold temperatures.

Growing Guide

Olives are easy to grow, prune to shape to form an open tree which will allow bird pollination, wind movement and sunlight for fruit ripening. Water well during long dry periods and when the fruit is developing. Fruit ripens in late summer through the autumn. Apply general fertilizer once a year in spring.

Harvest:

Harvest your fruit when it is either green or black. Green olives are usually pickled. Black olives can be pickled or pressed for oil.

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