Olive
Olive is a fruit in the Oleaceae family. It grows best in full sun with low moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 8-11.
Varieties
1 · sorted by days to maturity▸Olive
PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Tree fruit (cuttings) (not in original seed catalog). Use: Fruit for curing/oil; silver evergreen foliage. Note: Raw olives must be cured (brined/processed) before eating.
Olive (Olea europaea) is a long-lived, drought-tolerant evergreen tree grown for fruit (which must be cured) and oil; needs hot dry summers and only mild winters to thrive.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Olea europaea|Hardiness zones: 8-11|Propagation: cutting or grafting|Light: Full sun|Water: Low|Mature size: 10-30 feet
Plan your olive planting
Add olive to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Refrigerate ripe fruit; ripen firm fruit at room temperature.
- Freeze: Freezes well raw; spread on a tray first so pieces stay loose.
- Preserve: Make jam or water-bath can high-acid fruit.
- Dry: Dehydrate or air-dry, then store airtight away from light.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting
No curated care & troubleshooting advice for olive yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.