How to Grow Olives

Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. If the soil is acidic, sweeten with Yates Hydrangea Pinking Liquid.

Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Position in hole and backfill, gently firming down. Form a raised ring around the plant, creating a well so that water will go where it's needed most. Water in well.

Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips. sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

Feed your tree in early spring and late summer with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. When flowering and fruiting, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food to help promote fruit production.

Harvest olives when they turn from dark green to light green or wait for them to turn black. Process and cure as desired, but do this as soon as possible.

If you don't have a garden or you're short on space, you can still grow olives. They will happily grow in large pots – just make sure they have plenty of sunshine!

Choose a pot at least 600mm wide. Position in full sun and fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.

Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Position in hole and backfill, gently firming down. Water in well.

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

Feed your tree in early spring and late summer with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. When flowering and fruiting, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food to help promote fruit production.

Harvest olives when they turn from dark green to light green or wait for them to turn black. Process and cure as desired, but do this as soon as possible.

• Cool winters are needed for flower bud initiation. 'Perfect' flowers having both male and female parts, making them self-fertile. However, some flowers will only form with male parts, so they won't produce any fruit. 

• To encourage healthy and productive growth, feed Olive trees well in spring, when plants are flowering. Apply Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food Pellets Fruit & Citrus around the base of the plant and water in well.

• Improve pollination by planting another Olive tree nearby. 

• Popular Olive varieties include: 'Kalamata', 'Mazanillo', 'Picual', and 'Arbequina'.
  
  
• In the first couple of years, prune to encourage an open vase-shape; this will assist with air and light flow. 
  
  
• In winter, lightly prune to remove dead or low hanging branches.

Olive trees can take up to three-to-five years before they start to flower and fruit, becoming fully productive around eight years. Olive trees flower early in spring from buds which were initiated in late winter. A cold winter will lead to more flower buds, while a previous heavy crop will result in fewer flowers next spring.

Olive flowers are mainly wind-pollinated and are partially self-fertile. It's best to plant another variety nearby as cross pollination typically improves fruit set. Some reasons for a poor crop include:

• Poor pollination, perhaps due to hot dry winds or heavy rain at flowering time.
• Insufficient water when flowers are setting.
• Insufficient winter chill to 'set' the fruit.
• The variety may not be suitable for the location it is growing in.

To ensure a good crop, make sure the trees have plenty of sunshine and there is plenty of air circulation in the canopy of the tree. Keep them well watered and make sure the soil is well drained. Feed with a fertiliser like Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food Pellets Fruit & Citrus in early spring, and prune lightly after it has finished fruiting.