Olives

Steven says...
Hi Steph how are you

Olive trees are quite a slow growing tree and take along time to reach full size. Even still they are regarded as a medium sized tree growing to about 15m tall. However this would take along time and can easily be pruned.

Before you choose a variety you have to ask yourself if you want olives for the fruit or the oil as there are different varieties for each. Most likely you would want them for eating though. Kalimata and Manzanillo are good varieties but i would suggest having a look around on the internet or asking at nurseries etc. one site for eg is http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/olive.html which may be helpful.

Keep in mind though that olive trees fruit best when there are at least two trees close to each other (eg 5m radius) for cross pollination. Olive trees in general are very hardy and dont require much care, they are very disease and drought resistant once established.

Regards

Steven

Steven says...
Hi Steph

I hope I answered your question. I wouldnt worry about the size though they are very slow growing and would take a long time to get to the sort of size even if they do, and you can always cut them back.

Regards

Steven