Author Topic: Growing Olives  (Read 1014 times)

Kevin Jones

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Growing Olives
« on: February 05, 2021, 07:56:47 PM »
There seemed to be a subtopic growing in the Polar Vortex topic... and it is an interesting subject... so I thought I might give it a proper home... please carry on!


Kevin


brian

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2021, 08:38:51 PM »
Anything you can't eat fresh doesn't seem worthwhile to me, personally.  You would expect the same result from store bought.  I love olives, but I don't grow them.

Jaboticaba45

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2021, 09:14:41 PM »
I got an arbequina olive from Pine Island Nursery. Like mentioned in the other thread, it has taken down to around 20. I heard it makes a great houseplant but have not put mine in the house yet. It tree produced some olives this summer, but due to underwatering the fruit were pretty small and I did not have enough to cure them in brine. Even though it requires some steps to eat the fruit, I think it is a beautiful tree worth growing just for the looks.

johnb51

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2021, 11:21:32 PM »
I just wonder if they could be a serious crop in Florida.  Olives have always been grown in or associated with Mediterranean countries/climates.
John

Galatians522

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2021, 02:15:07 PM »
About 500 years ago the Spaniards brought olives, figs, vinafera grapes, and citrus to Florida. The only one of those that became a major commercial crop here was citrus. Last I knew the only major commercial planting of olives in central Florida (near High Springs as I recall) had gone out of business without pressing a single olive of their own. I have observed small scale plantings in the Highlands County area for a number of years, but have not seen fruit yet. I also believe that Hardee County was testing olives in an attempt  to find low chill cultivars. I believe that there is currently a semi-successful olive oil operation in Georgia.

Many people do not realize that avocados have the potential to produce about twice as much oil per acre as olives. The oil has very similar uses and is slightly more expensive. They are also much more reliable bearers here in central Florida.

spaugh

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2021, 02:57:24 PM »
Olives grow wild here with a foot of rain per year and blazing hot dry weather. 
Brad Spaugh

dwfl

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2021, 03:51:34 PM »
I've seen some big beautiful olive trees down here in SFL but haven't seen them produce. Must need colder winters to produce but they do grow.

Tropheus76

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2021, 08:43:14 AM »
Olives do well, but they take forever to start fruiting. Arbequina require more chill hours than we typically get in central Florida. Tunisian olives apparently like 100-150 so I have planted a few of those last year to test. I have 8 year old Koroneki(sp?) and two 8 year old Arbies and while they absolutely take the cold like champs(as in zero damage in the hard 27 degree frost we just had, unprotected) they have not fruited. We had a much colder year this year for chill hours than we have had in a few years so just maybe I will see some fruit. The cold in Florida is not an issue for Olives except maybe at the most north western parts. I would love to see many of the existing citrus groves turned over to olive and pecan groves instead of developments.

johnb51

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2021, 11:41:13 PM »
Pecans, too? Really? They'll grow in Florida?
John

Tropheus76

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2021, 07:54:28 AM »
I have gotten some off my very young trees here in East Orange county last year. With this heavy chill hour winter we are having I am hoping to have a good deal more and have planted a couple more trees for the future. I think north FL is one of the biggest pecan growing areas outside of GA.

Galatians522

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Re: Growing Olives
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2021, 05:34:17 PM »
I've seen a number of pecans with nuts on them here in central FL. They don't usually put on a full crop from what I have seen, but they do produce some nuts. The Eliott pecan originated in North Florida and is supposed to do better here than some of the others. One challenge is that pecans tend to need cross polination for good nut set.