Grow Your Own Magazine

Does anyone know anything about olive trees. We were thinking of buying my father-in-law one for his birthday. We looked at a few in two garden centres yesterday and they all had a bit on the label saying 'decoration only, do not consume' so what's the point?
Has anyone got one? Does anyone know where we can get an 'edible' one?
Or does anyone have any other 'quirky' garden related gift ideas?

Hmm, is your father in law into growing unusual plants? If so, maybe he could try the Voodoo Lily(Sauromatum venosum). These very unusual plants can grow without soil and little, if any water to survive. You could literally just stick it in a saucer on a windowsill and it will grow. One word of warning, though: they smell pretty nasty. Imagine leaving a piece of beef out in hot, humid weather for a few hours and you'll have a good idea what it smells like!

Oh, by the way, try here for olive trees.

Hi Blackkitty - I bought an olive tree off these people last year (ended up with two but thats another story). They sell different size trees but not sure if they have others left, try emailing them.

Olives for fruit

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I was interested in your olive trees. Did you get them for decoration, or for the olives? What size pot did you plant them in?

Fish

Thanks, I'll give them a go. Have you got yours in a container? Have you had much success with it?
The voodoo lily sounds weird Lozzie, my f-i-l is more interested in things that end up being edible in some way.

I wanted to get a reasonable sized olive at a reasonable price, nowhere round here sold them so I had to use mail order. Kings Nursery on ebay seemed the best value for money and their olive tree were for growing olives, indeed the two I've got are grafted species (no names though).

They're currently in 10" terracotta pots and stood out (under an open but roofed patio area last winter). They definately grew little olives but they got blown off. Not sure whether its possible to get them to grow full-size though they need lots of warm weather.

Here's a couple of threads where we've talked olive trees before.



Olive trees

Olives Pt2

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I've been inspired. I just ordered one form ebay!

Hi Fish, if you've read the other links you'll have seen that SBP & I have had varying results with olives but it is possible to get ones which will produce fruit. It takes a while to mature though & needs a long hot summer like this one & has to be treated before the olives are edible, you can't just pick them off the tree & eat them. Even so I'm persevering! Not even managed to get mine to flower yet though!

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Hi SueA,

Well, you never know - we may be in for many more long hot summers! So, best to get the olive trees in now! Besides, I like olive trees. It would be cool, though, to harvest and treat even a jar full one day!

Fish

Thanks for all the help. we found one yesterday at one of our local nurseries (as opposed to garden centres). It was a reasonable price and has already flowered and has little olives starting.

GYO mag. had an item on curing & marinating olives a few months ago, Blackkitty, if you or your father-in-law fancy trying it.
Choose ripe olives & cut each on one side, place in a stoneware container & cover with brine made from 4tbsp of salt per litre of water. Weight the olives down with a plate or something to keep them in the brine & store in a cool place changing the brine & rinsing the olives once a week for 3 weeks.Repeat for another week if still too bitter. Rinse & add a marinade of 1 litre white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp salt in half a litre of water, half teaspoon dried oregano, three lemon wedges, 2 cloves of garlic & splash of olive oil & seal in jars.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.