Most commonly propogated from cuttings. Take cutting from 2 year old wood of mature tree and treat with rooting hormone. Plant in light soil. 4 years till fruiting.
Prefer arid conditions. With spring temperatures over 12 degrees C. Higher than 30 degrees in summer can stall fruit production. WInter chill time required for flowering.
Full sun. Well drained soil
Olives love coastal areas
Can be grown in containers or pots – choose deep pots with excellent drainage.
Plant 6m apart. Avoid distrupting roots at planting. Stake young tree.
Watering critical when establishing trees. DO NOT WATERLOG
Mulch with compost or pea straw.
Pruning important for first 2 to 3 years to develop branching and thicken trunk.
Some varieties are self fertile – others require pollination.
Wind pollination is the most common. Insects are helpful but not reliable.
Trees are fruit bearing at age 4. Thin the crop to ger larger fruit size. 2-3 fruit per 20cm of twig.
Pests: Birds love ripening olives.
Olive fruit is bitter and unpalatable without processing – brining, pickling or pressing.
Oldest species of cultivated tree
Prune back by about a third opening up and allowing wind to assist in pollination
Fruit is borne on previous summer growth.
Grows to 10 metres
Pests and diseases – brown olive scale, olive lace bug, peacock spot, phytophtora
Leaves of olives known for antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic qualities. Can be used to make a powerful herbal tea
Add 6 leaves, broken up to a cup of boiling water. Cover and leave for 5 minutes
Olive oil high in vitamins and minerals including vitamin E
Rich in monounsaturated fats that lower blood cholesterol.
Orifinated in Aisa Minor about 6000 years ago
Italy, Spain and Greece – largest commercial growers
On average a 5 to 10 year old tree could produce 25kg of fruit. 5kg of fruit is required to make a litre of olive oil
Need a free draining soil. They do well in sandy shingle or stoney soil
Can withstand dry conditions but like a good soak.
Airflow also important
hardy to -2 degrees C
Prune to allow good air movement and to make sure the trunk is free of shoots
Can be grown in pots
Some varieties are self fertile
Some produce more oil than others while some are better as table olives
Harvest
Green Olives are picked when they have reached full size. Can be picked at any stage right up to purple for pickling. Most common way to harvest ripe fruit is to spread a tarp unter the tree and shake the tre. Green olives usally pickled. Black olives pressed for oil.
Olive Oil
Harvest Olives
Spread out and dry for 10 days out of direct sun – Turning twice a day
Fill cider cage with olives. Put pressing plate on top.
Ratchet down
Stop when you hear the pits start to crack.
Pickled olives
Collect olives. Wash in fresh water and allow to dry. Prick outside of fruit with fork or slit end with sharp paring knife.
Put olives in large plastic bucket. COver olives.
For every 2.5 itres of water used add 120g coarse salt.
Weigh olives with a plate and rock/brick/picklign wight.
Every 12-14 days pour out water and replace brine until olives start to taste less bitter and soften in texture.
Measure water poured off
Place olives in pot. Add same amount of fresh water poured off and 250g salt per 2.5 litres water
Bring to boil.
Cool
Ot olives in sterile jare, pour salty brine over them.
Finishe with 1cm olive oil.
Keep fro 12 months
If too salty before eating drain brine and add clean water.
Olives in oil
Olives, herbs, garlic, spices, sundried tomatoes. Should keep 2-3 years if covered well.
Varieties
A’Prugna – Pickling red
Ascolano – Italian variety. Cold Hardy. Pickling. Hedging. Pollinate with Frantoio or Leccino. Grows to 6m. Delicate mild taste. Stay green.
Barnia – Oil, Pickling Black
Chemali/Chemlali – Ornamental. Prolific producer of small olives. Excellent quality oil. Hedging. Disease Resistant. Harvest April May. – compact. Hedging. Oil
El Greco – Greece. Compact. Ideal for topiary. Heavy cropper. Hedging. Good oil content. To 4 metres.
Frantanio – from Tuscany, Italy. Suitable for oil or table. May be picked when green. Self fertile. Shelter from stron winds. To 3m. Small olives with excellent flavour. Highly ornamental and productive. Vigorous growing . Disease resistant. Harvest May. Hardy. Pickling. Oil. for larger garden. Cooler temperatures. Pickling green olives
Hojblanca – Pickling Black
J5 – Quick growing. Excellent cropper. Olives good size. Frost tolerant. Self fertile. Hedging. Tolerates dry. Suitable for coastal locations. To 5m. Commercial variety. One of the best varieties for the north island. Good for oil and pickling. Ornamental.
Kalamata – Greek. Table Olive. Excellent Oil. Strong vigor. Does not like extremes. Pollinators Manzanilla or Koroneiki. Difficult to grow. Harvest April
Koroneiki – Small growing. Large crops. High oil content, Suitable for pickling, To 3 m, Harvest April Suits coastal areas. HEdging Self fertile, compact. Salt tolerant. Hedging. Oil
Leccino – Italian. High oil content. Suitable to grow anywhere. Pollinate with Pendolino or Frantoio. Grows to 3m. Strong spicy flavoured oil. Hardy to cold. Self fertile, Harvest April Tolerates cold once established. Picking, oil. larger garden. Cooler temps
Manzanilla – Spanish. Eat fresh, oil, pickling. Smaller than other varieties. Early fruiting. Partially self fertile. Benefits from Frantoio. Shelter from heavy frosts. To 3m. Ripens early autumn. Harvest April. Does not like hard frosts or cold. Oil and Pickling
Mission
Moraiolo – Salt tolerant.
Nocellara – Sicilian. Weeping habit. Fruit pickled green. High quality, light perfumed oil. Pollinators Frantoio or Leccino. Harvest May. Picking and Oilfor larger garden. Picking Green or Oil
PEndolina – Good oil. Weeping habit. High fruit production. Excellent pollinator for others. Pollinator Leccino., Harvest April, Picking. Oil
Picholene/Picholine – French. Table Olive. Excellent Oil. High yield. COld tolerant. Black when mature. Pollinators Leccino and Manzanilla. Harvest april May. – coller temps. Oil. Picking
Picual – Oil and table. Late season. Heavy cropper. Large fruit ready to harvest as they turn black. to 5m. larger garden. Hedging. Cooler temperatures. Oil
Prugno – for larger garden
Rakino – FLavoursome. Hrdy. Suitable for COastal. To 3m.
Signore – Salt tolerant. Hedging
Sourani – HEdging. Cooler temps, Oil
South Australian Verdale – Pickling black
Verdale – suitable for oil and pickling, Tolerates hot summer and cold winter. to 5m.