Olea europaea. A gnarled olive tree. A clambering grape vine. River rock. The only way to improve upon this garden picture is to plant one of the rustic Italian olive trees. Bay Flora is pleased to offer McEvoy Ranch Tuscan olive trees. These choice olive tree varieties have been organically grown and well trained for a perfect start, as can be seen from the photo, at left, of their growing grounds in the western hills of Sonoma County. About 3' tall in 1-gallon containers. Each olive tree has been carefully pruned and shaped to create an even-branched, balanced canopy. McEvoy pruners remove the central leader of the single trunk trees to promote lateral growth as well as create easy access for harvesting. Full sun and good drainage required. Expect harvestable crops in about three years. The first fruits are almost all pit and no meat and it's best to remove them, although few people can bring themselves to do it. You must process olives within a few days of harvesting, whether for oil or table, or they'll start to decompose and the end result will be inferior. Never use olives that have fallen off the tree when curing or pressing. Olive trees bear their fruit on one year old shoots. To promote this growth, prune your trees in Spring. You can pinch the branches of new trees or prune back branches of established trees. Olive trees won't bear fruit twice on the same wood, so remove bearing shoots from the previous year each Spring. If you want to enhance growth, be sure to fertilize well. Seaweed not only provides boron, which olives need, but it also helps trees survive cold weather. Well-aged manure, dolomitic lime and greensand provide an excellent top layer food source that will slowly and safely release nutrients to the trees. In colder climates, grow olive trees in a pot that can be brought into a sun porch during the winter. Zones 9-10 outdoors, where trees grow to about 25 feet. Please read varietal descriptions for pollenizer requirements. Fruit injured at 26 degrees, tree injured at 16 degrees. A note on the olive fruit fly: it has established its nasty little self throughout California olive growing regions. You can control it organically by using Spinosad, but diligence is required. A second note: olives prefer dry conditions and are prone to fungal disease in areas of high humidity, such as most of the Southeast. Thomas Jefferson, a great gardener, had his heart broken over his olive trees' intransigent refusal to produce a harvestable crop at Monticello. Frantoio and Arbequina trees are now available in 5 gal containers. These are beautiful specimens, shipped in 4' braced containers. When we sell out, we usually have more in stock within a few weeks. Shipping charges are 25% for CA, 30% for OR and WA, and 40% to rest of U.S. Orders received by Fridays at 5 pm PST will be shipped the following Monday. Sorry, no shipping to AK,HI. |
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| Ascolano Olive Tree A vigorous and upright grower with slightly twisted and substantive green leaves, Ascolano is prized for the huge size and delicate taste of its olives. Since you can't get something for nothing, the downside is that Ascolano olives bruise easily and then you can't cure them. So harvest carefully. Fruit set is also fairly low. This is the only olive we offer that doesn't turn black when ripe. Also used to produce a light and delicate oil. Ascolano is the most cold hardy of the Tuscan cultivars. Not self-fertile. Compatible olive tree pollenizers include Frantoio, Leccino and Pendolino. SOLD OUT FOR 2010. | |
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| Coratina Olive Tree A very adaptable olive tree from Puglia, the oil has a strong peppery flavor from its high polyphenol levels. Coratina olive trees grow faster and more erect than others, with gray-green leaves. Excellent choice for hot climates. Compatible olive tree pollenizers include Frantoio and Leccino. | |
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| Frantoio Olive Tree The primary varietal used in Tuscan oil production, the Frantoio olive tree is useful to the home gardener as well. This olive tree is self-fertile, meaning it doesn't require another variety to set fruit, but is also an excellent pollenizer to other olive trees. The Frantoio olive tree grows in semi-pendulous fashion, with dark green-gray leaves. The fruit also makes a good table olive after curing, with a slightly nutty flavor to the medium-sized fruit. Well-developed trees. | |
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| Frantoio Tree 5 gal This larger version of our 1 gal Frantoio tree is ready to flower and fruit in your garden. Grown in 5 gal containers and shipped in 4' x 1' x 1' boxes. Beautifully branched and symmetrical. TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK. | |
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| Leccino Olive Tree Oil from this olive tree is more delicate than Frantoio, and the small to medium fruit is also used for table olives. The olives ripen into black ovals practically all at once, so be prepared. The Leccino olive tree (at left in photo) is a vigorous grower, with gray leaves and a graceful airy habit. Compatible olive tree pollenizers include Pendolino, Maurino and Frantoio. | |
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| Maurino Olive Tree An excellent choice for coastal areas, Maurino olive trees produce a peppery and fruity oil. This olive tree (at right in photo) is a compact grower, slightly weeping, with gray-green leaves. It needs pollenizers. Compatible olive tree pollenizers includ Pendolino, Leccino and Frantoio. A beautiful new crop of trees. | |
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| Pendolino Olive Tree This weeping olive tree is slow growing but well worth the wait. In fact, to see this olive tree in the gloaming, its narrow leaves backlit like slivers of a silver sun, is a heart-pounding experience. Pendolino olive trees are partially self-fertile, but you need pollenizers if you want a large fruit crop. Compatible olive tree pollenizers include Leccino and Maurino. Pendolino olive trees are used extensively as pollenizers in large olive tree groves. The fruit makes small but delicious green and black table olives as well. | |
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| Taggiasca Olive Tree This self-fertile cultivar hails from Liguria, where Benedictine monks selected for the traits expressed in today's Taggiasca olive trees. The small to medium olives yield a light, fine oil with a delicate almond flavor. For eating, the olives are cured black. They have a sweet buttery taste. Mature tree has average size and vigor, with a semi-weeping habit. Very late ripening. Leaves are green-gray on top, silver on bottom. These Taggiasca trees are beautiful. SOLD OUT FOR 2010. | |
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| Arbequina Olive Tree Arbequina olive trees hail from Catalonia, not Tuscany, but they share the same excellent rustic qualities of the above varieties, including high adaptability to different climates and soils. Used for both oil and table olives, the fruit is small and rounded. Crop matures into black olives over a few weeks, so you have time to pick them. Tree is weeping, fairly compact and shorter than other varieties, and self-fertile. Trees are currently loaded with green fruit. TEMPORARILY SOLD OUT. | |
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| Arbequina Olive Tree 5 Gal If you don't want to wait a few years for your smaller Arbequina to develop, consider the 5 gal tree. The trunk is sturdy and the branches are many and this is one beautiful Arbequina tree. 4' tall. Shipped in 4' x 1' x 1' boxes. | |
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