GrowSabzHow to grow olive in pots
Also called zeitun, zaitoon, olivo, oliver · Olea europaea
زیتون
- ☀️ Sunlight
- 8–10hours daily
- 💧 Water
- 3.8 Levery 10 days, 50 L pot
- 🌡️ Ideal temp
- 18–28°C
- 🪴 Min pot
- 50 L40 cm deep
- 🧺 Harvest
- 150–240days from sowing
- ⚖️ Yield
- 3 kgper 20 L pot
Olive keeps producing once it starts. First picking comes around day 150, and the plant then crops for roughly 90 more days — but only if you keep picking. Fruit left on the plant is a signal to stop making more.
Short answer
Grow olive in a 50 litre container at least 40 cm deep, watering about 500 ml per 10 litres of soil every 10 days, and keep temperatures between 18 and 28 °C. First harvest comes 150–240 days after sowing.
Where to plant it
What size pot does olive need?
50 litres and 40 cm deep is the realistic minimum for a single plant. Pick a container below to see what changes.
| Container | Minimum size | Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot | 50 L | 40 cm | Requires large pot with excellent drainage |
| Grow bag | 50 L | 40 cm | Fabric bags promote air pruning |
| Open ground | — | 60 cm | Requires well-drained soil and ample space |
| Raised bed | 100 L | 50 cm | Ensures good drainage and soil depth |
Watering
How often should you water olive?
Every 10 days through the growing season, at about 500 ml per 10 litres of soil — every 5 days in hot weather, every 20 days when it turns cool. Water in the early morning. Drip irrigation, Deep root watering works best.
Too little water
- leaf curling
- wilting
- fruit drop
Too much water
- yellow leaves
- root rot
- stunted growth
Avoid: shallow frequent watering; standing water.
Climate
Can you grow olive where you live?
No hardiness zone needed — compare your actual temperatures against the plant's own limits.
| Ideal range | 18 – 28 °C |
|---|---|
| Survives | -5 – 40 °C |
| Germinates above | 15 °C — best at 25 °C, about 90 days |
| Flowers drop | above 35 °C |
| Sunlight | 8–14 hrs/day, best 10 |
| Frost | Medium sensitivity |
The flower-drop thresholds matter more than the survival ones. A plant can be perfectly alive at 40 °C and still give you nothing.
How cold is too cold for olive? Check your temperaturesEnter your night low and day high — see if it survives, and if it will cropTimeline
Olive growing stages, day by day
Click any stage to see what's happening. Durations shift with temperature — a warm season runs roughly a quarter faster than a cool one.
Feeding
Fertiliser schedule for olive
Feed on the interval below, changing what you give as the plant shifts from making leaves to making fruit.
| Stage | What to use | Per 10 L | Every |
|---|
How to prepare each feed
Common mistakes
Why olive fails, and how to avoid it
- A container that is too small
Below 50 litres the root run is too shallow. The plant grows, flowers late, and drops whatever it sets because it cannot support the crop.
- Watering too lightly
A daily splash wets the top few centimetres and nothing else. Olive wants about 500 ml per 10 litres of soil — one deep soak beats three shallow ones.
- Ignoring the flower-drop threshold
Above 35 °C flowers fall before setting. The plant can look perfectly healthy and still give you nothing — shade it through the hottest hours.
- Planting it beside Walnut
Walnut trees release juglone, a chemical toxic to many plants, including olives, inhibiting their growth.
Companions
What to plant with olive
Good neighbours
Repels the olive fruit fly and other pests, and can improve the flavor of olives.
Attracts beneficial pollinators like bees and deters some common garden pests.
Acts as a ground cover, suppressing weeds and attracting beneficial insects.
Nitrogen-fixing legume that improves soil fertility and structure, benefiting olive trees.
Can act as a trap crop for aphids, diverting them from the olive tree, and attracts beneficial insects.
Keep apart from
Walnut trees release juglone, a chemical toxic to many plants, including olives, inhibiting their growth.
Olives prefer neutral to alkaline soil (pH 6.5-8.0), while acid-loving plants require a much lower pH, making them incompatible.
Plants that are heavy feeders (e.g., corn, some brassicas) will compete intensely for nutrients, especially in the often poor soils where olives thrive.
Problems
Olive pests and diseases
Each lists the weather that brings it on, so you know when to start checking rather than reacting once it's established.
Olive Fruit Fly humidity any · temp 20-30
The most destructive pest of olives. Females lay eggs in developing fruit; larvae feed inside, causing fruit drop, reduced oil quality, and increased acidity.
Peacock Spot humidity >70% · temp 10-20
Fungal disease causing dark, circular spots with a yellow halo on olive leaves, leading to premature defoliation and reduced vigor.
Olive Knot humidity >80% · temp 15-25
Bacterial disease causing galls (knots) on branches, twigs, and trunks, often entering through wounds from pruning or frost. Can severely weaken the tree.
Verticillium Wilt humidity any · temp 18-28
Soil-borne fungal disease causing wilting, yellowing, and dieback of branches, often on one side of the tree. Can be lethal, especially to young trees.
Scale Insects humidity <60% · temp >25
Small, immobile insects that attach to branches and leaves, sucking sap and weakening the tree. Often lead to sooty mold due to honeydew excretion.
Aphids humidity any · temp 15-25
Cluster on new growth and undersides of leaves, sucking sap, causing distorted leaves and secreting sticky honeydew, which can lead to sooty mold.
Sooty Mold humidity >70% · temp any
Black, powdery fungal growth that covers leaves and branches, feeding on honeydew excreted by pests like scale and aphids. Reduces photosynthesis.
Root Rot humidity any · temp any
Caused by excessive soil moisture and poor drainage, leading to root decay, wilting, yellowing leaves, and eventual tree death. Olives are sensitive to wet feet.
Boron Deficiency humidity any · temp any
Common in alkaline soils. Causes poor fruit set, deformed fruit, twig dieback, and reduced pollen viability. Crucial for olive production.
Iron Chlorosis humidity any · temp any
Yellowing of leaves with green veins, especially on new growth. Caused by iron deficiency, often due to high pH (alkaline) soils making iron unavailable.
Anthracnose humidity >80% · temp 20-30
Fungal disease causing dark, sunken lesions on ripening fruit, leading to rot and reduced oil quality. Favored by warm, humid, rainy conditions.
Harvest
When to harvest olive
First picking falls between day 150 and day 240, and the plant then keeps producing for about 90 days. Pick often — what you leave on the plant signals it to stop making more.
How to tell it's ready
- Fruit color change (green to purple to black)
- Firmness (for table olives)
- Oil content (for oil olives)
How much to expect
Storing it: Fresh olives are bitter and require curing (brining, lye treatment) before consumption. Store cured olives in brine or oil.
Questions
Olive: common questions
How long does olive take to grow?
About 1095 days from sowing to the first harvest, with picking usually starting between day 150 and day 240. It then keeps producing for roughly 90 more days. Warm weather pulls that forward; cool weather pushes it back.
What size pot does olive need?
At least 50 litres and 40 cm deep for one plant. A raised bed wants 100 litres of soil and 50 cm of depth.
How often should I water olive?
About 500 ml per 10 litres of soil, every 10 days in normal weather — every 5 days when it is hot and every 20 days when cool. Water in the early morning.
What temperature does olive need?
It does best between 18 °C and 28 °C and survives from -5 °C to 40 °C. Seed needs soil above 15 °C to germinate, ideally around 25 °C.
Can I grow olive in winter?
It tolerates cold better than most, down to about -5 °C, so a sheltered spot or a cold frame will often carry it through.
How do I know when olive is ready to harvest?
Fruit color change (green to purple to black); Firmness (for table olives); Oil content (for oil olives). Once picked: fresh olives are bitter and require curing (brining, lye treatment) before consumption. store cured olives in brine or oil.
How much does one olive plant produce?
Roughly 3 kg from a 20 litre container, or about 30 kg in open ground. Larger containers give proportionally more, up to a point.