I tend to Google research these things a little too late.
The Basics
Olive, Olea europaea, is a tree in the family Oleaceae. This one was an Arbequina, a small Spanish variety.
Origin and Habitat
Native to the Mediterranean region, where it thrives on cool winters and long dry summers.
What It Looks Like
A small to medium evergreen tree with narrow silvery-green leaves.
Uses and Flavor
Grown for its fruit, cured or pressed for oil, though we never got the chance to find out what ours would produce.
Growing It Here
Miller spotted this one at the Pukalani stables farmers market. It’s self-pollinating, but it needs 300 consecutive chill hours below 45°F to actually fruit, and our average January low here is around 61°F, so the odds were never great. Unfortunately this one didn’t make it, probably planted in the wrong spot. We still have two dwarf olives elsewhere on the property, over 15 years old at this point, that likely won’t ever fruit either, but they look cool regardless.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For
Not applicable at this point.
Kenta’s Take
This was a planting driven more by hope than by the numbers, since the chill-hour math really wasn’t in our favor, and in the end the numbers won this round. Still glad we gave it a shot, and the two older dwarf olives are proof this family can at least survive here, fruit or not.