Olive

Global Crop Other Systems: Irreg. Intercrop Other Systems: Strip intercrop Other Systems: Woody agriculture Staple Crop: Oil Landscape Uses:Container, Espalier, Pollard, Standard, Specimen, Street tree. Easily grown in a loamy soil and tolerating infertile soils, it prefers a well-drained deep fertile soil. A drought resistant plant once established, it succeeds in dry soils. Requires a sunny position. Tolerates salty air. Plants are slow-growing and very long-lived. The olive is very commonly cultivated in Mediterranean climates for its edible seed, there are many named varieties[132, 183]. Trees can produce a crop when they are 6 years old and continue producing a commercial yield for the next 50 years - many trees continue to give good yields for hundreds of years, even when their trunk is hollow. They succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain, though plants rarely produce fruit when grown in this country[4, 182, 200], preferring warm temperate regions with mild moist winters and hot dry summers. Some reports say that trees often fruit in south-western England[11, 59]. Generally, older trees are hardy to about -10°c[3, 200]. They require the protection of a south facing wall when grown in the London area. At least some cultivars are self-fertile. Some cultivars have been selected mainly for their fruits whilst others have been selected for their oil. 'Mission' is grown for its edible fruits. It is vigorous, prolific and very cold resistant. 'Moraiolo' is grown for its oil, it is very hardy and strong-growing. Flower production depends on a 12 - 15 week period of diurnally fluctuating temperatures with at least 2 months averaging below 10°c. Pruning can encourage non-fruiting water-shoots. Weighing down or arching the branches can encourage fruiting. The plants fruit best on wood that is one year old so any pruning should take this into account. An olive branch is a traditional symbol of peace, laurel leaves were used by the ancient Greeks to crown winners of the Olympic games. Plants have male flowers and bisexual flowers. Special Features: Not North American native, Naturalizing, Fragrant flowers. Olives can be self-fertile, but cross-pollination with another variety often improves fruit set and yield. Olives are typically harvested in Autumn, from late September to November (Northern Hemisphere), depending on the variety and region. Olive trees flower in Spring, usually from April to June (Northern Hemisphere), with flowers appearing in clusters. Olives have a slow to moderate growth rate, generally growing about 1-2 feet per year until maturity, which can take 3 to 5 years for fruiting, and full production may take 7 to 10 years. Carbon Farming Global Crop These crops are already grown or traded around the world. The annual value of each is more than $1 billion US Examples include coconuts, almonds, and bananas. Other Systems: Irreg. Intercrop Irregular intercropping systems are trees scattered throughout cropland. Other Systems: Strip intercrop Tree crops grown in rows with alternating annual crops. Other Systems: Woody agriculture Domesticated woody plants intensively producing agricultural staples. Staple Crop: Oil (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil). References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information Temperature Converter Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit: Celsius Fahrenheit: The PFAF Bookshop Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants , Edible Perennials , Edible Trees , Edible Shrubs , Woodland Gardening , and Temperate Food Forest Plants . Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical) . Shop Now

Edible Parts: Fruit Leaves Manna Oil Oil Edible Uses: Condiment Oil Oil Olive fruits are widely used, especially in the Mediterranean, as a relish and flavouring for foods. The fruit is usually pickled or cured with water, brine, oil, salt or lye[2, 3, 4, 89, 183]. They can also be dried in the sun and eaten without curing when they are called 'fachouilles'. The cured fruits are eaten as a relish, stuffed with pimentos or almonds, or used in breads, soups, salads etc. 'Olives schiacciate' are olives picked green, crushed, cured in oil and used as a salad. The fruit contains 20 - 50µ vitamin D per 100g. The fruit is up to 4cm long. The seed is rich in an edible non-drying oil, this is used in salads and cooking and, because of its distinct flavour, is considered a condiment[4, 46, 57, 89, 171, 183]. There are various grades of the oil, the finest (known as 'Extra Virgin') is produced by cold pressing the seeds without using heat or chemical solvents. The seed of unpalatable varieties is normally used and this oil has the lowest percentage of acidity and therefore the best flavour. Other grades of the oil come from seeds that are heated (which enables more oil to be expressed but has a deleterious effect on the quality) or from using chemical solvents on seed that has already been pressed for higher grades of oil. Olive oil is mono-unsaturated and regular consumption is thought to reduce the risk of circulatory diseases. The seed contains albumen, it is the only seed known to do this. Leaves. No more details are given. An edible manna is obtained from the tree. References More on Edible Uses

Seed - sow late winter in a shady position in a greenhouse. Home produced seed should be given a period of cold stratification first. Where possible, it is best to sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse in the autumn. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, perhaps for their first 2 - 3 winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and give them some protection from winter cold for at least their first winter outdoors[K]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage.