Growing olives

[SueA]

Has anyone on the grapevine grown olives successfully in a pot? I bought this one about 4 years ago & was told it was a european olive. I repotted it about 2 years ago into a terracotta pot (about 12in.), I put it outside on a sunny patio in the summer & bring it indoors for the winter as it is still quite small (about 2ft) but it just sits there & sulks. It has never flowered & I'm wondering if it ever will or is it just too young yet? Also would the olives be edible as I read a letter in one mag. where someone had tasted a home-grown olive & it was awful & the reply was that olives have to be treated with some kind of chemical pickling process to be ready to eat even if you can get them to ripen in this country.

[smallblueplanet]

Last year I bought two olive trees from a garden centre (off ebay), one of them had flowers & tiny olives on when it arrived.

Unfortunately they were lost to bad weather and strong winds - I nearly sobbed! I was cheated out of recreating a Mediterranean idyl!!! They were very whippy/tall (over 6') so I took my courage in both hands and 'pollarded' their trunks down to about 3' and I'm going to lollipop them.

They are incredibly resilient - I found an american website where this guy chopped olive tree trunks up with a chainsaw and they still regrew. Anyway I'm hoping I get flowers (& fruit) again this year but if not I have a lovely-looking matched pair of olive trees.

I left my two potted 'trees' out all winter, although they are under a roof overhang and stayed fairly dry. I think as long as they have very good drainage and their roots don't get wet & cold they'll be fine - mine have started to grow again already.

[smallblueplanet]

Oh, as for eating home-picked olives I did find a site that gave instructions for salting them so they are edible, but I never got to use it (sob!).

I also think you need the right kind of olive tree, which is why I was happy when mine turned up with the evidence on the branches!

They weren't too pricey either, they sell for silly prices from some places!



They never got chance to grow!!!!

[nick the grief]

I Hate olives as much as Couch grass!! Sorry but there you are, can't stand the little gits - yaaaccckkk. Olive Oils OK though

[SueA]

I Hate olives as much as Couch grass!! Sorry but there you are, can't stand the little gits - yaaaccckkk. Olive Oils OK though

Think maybe my husband has been sabotaging my olive plant as he hates olives too & fishes them out when I put them in Greek salad!

[SueA]

smallblueplanet,
Your trees sound as though they are a lot older & more established than mine, maybe mine is just too small & young at the moment. It's probably a lot warmer where you are as well than here in 'sunny' Manchester! I might try chopping it back a bit as you have & repotting it. Do you feed yours at all? I gave mine a couple of doses of tomato feed last year but thought maybe they shouldn't be fed as they grow in pretty dry rough ground in the med.

[andrewo]

I Hate olives as much as Couch grass!! Sorry but there you are, can't stand the little gits - yaaaccckkk. Olive Oils OK though

Heathen. The problem with olives in this country is that we get them in brine and they are vile, olives in oil are far superior in taste and stuffed with peppers or garlic are wonderful, just tuck them in your cheek and suck, lovely. Olives are very erratic in this country and I would advise to treat them as tender and grow undercover.

[smallblueplanet]

Hi Sue

I'm not sure they are very old - maybe 4 years (last year), but they are grafted. I just tried searching on ebay for the company (it was a garden centre in Kent) but they're not selling at the minute. They had different sizes and prices and were quite keenly priced.

Think with p&p it was about £25 for a 6' model - which was too whippy in the winds we get here, so I chopped it back. (I also got sent a 'duff' one first time & the company replaced it immediately, so I have two because 'pollarding' sorted the 1st one out!)

I googled about a bit for info on olive-growing, there's plenty of sites in the USA on commercial growing that will give you an idea of the conditions olives will tolerate. If I find that site where the chap chainsawed trunks I'll post it later.

Its what convinced me I'd be alright chopping mine - they did look a sight, 3 foot sticks in 12" terracotta pots, LOL. But it didn't take too many weeks before new buds/shoots came through and by the end of the summer one had put on new branches about 12" in length. (I chopped them at different times, just in case the 1st one didn't work)

I've just remembered that the OH has a big black folder full of gardening info and receipts - I just found the 'care leaflet' for the trees.

(Kings Toll Nursery - olive tree)

Oopps, it says, olives flower on branches that are over 3 years old.... oh well be a while 'til I need to look for the olive curing details! Also prune in Spring after fruit has been picked.

It also says for olives in a pot 'feed weekly from april to sept on a 3 week cycle. 2weeks sulphate of ammonia then 1week any balanced liquid feed. Or use a slow release food, once monthly feed with sulphate of ammonia.'

Needless to say I have no idea what sulphate of ammonia is and last year mine got new potting compost and some seaweed feed....but there's always more than one way...

good luck
Manda

[SueA]

Hi SBP,
Thanks for the info, sulphate of ammonia sounds a bit nasty so I think I'll just stick to the seaweed/tomato food method & maybe just trim off the spindly bare looking branches as the bit about flowering on 3 year old wood might be why I haven't seen any yet.

[Jaxom]

Hi SBP,
Thanks for the info, sulphate of ammonia sounds a bit nasty so I think I'll just stick to the seaweed/tomato food method

Once more the subject of peeing on your plants raises it's head.
There is ammonia in urine and your body has already diluted it to a safe level.
Jax

[smallblueplanet]

Hummm, tricky....don't think my aim is that good!!

[nick the grief]

You should try doing it with Cacti !!! Sulphate of ammonia is a high nitrogen feed usually around the 26% mark and is easily taken up by the plant when given as a liquid feed. Your Tomato feed is High Potash and is good for fruiting so if they need a nitrogen boost the tom feed won't give it to them. Hi potash will ripen the wood of the plant as well where as the hi Notrogen will keep it lush providing you don't over do it. You would be better finding a balanced feed (try the Organic catalogue, I'm sure they do it) rather than just the tom food.

[SueA]

Does tom cat pee count as ammonia feed? I'm sure they target the olive tree when it's on the patio!

[andrewo]

Tom cats will strip the bark off a three hundred year old tree, vile creatures.

[bramble]

Hate olives too. Can't understand why anyone would want to grow them when there are so many yummy plants to grow in pots (and edible as well. However, each to their own!