Kalamata Olive Tree

The Kalamata olive tree (Olea europaea 'Kalamata') is the variety behind the large, deep purple, almond shaped table olive most Australians know by name. It is a vigorous upright grower reaching around 6m tall and 4m wide if you let it, though annual pruning holds it at 3m to 4m and keeps the fruit pickable. Silver grey foliage year round, cream flowers in spring, and a crop that fills jars.

Why you'll love it

• The table olive worth growing. Large, meaty fruit with a high flesh to stone ratio, cured for eating rather than pressed for oil.
• Handles conditions that beat other fruit trees. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, salt tolerant and productive in poor soil.
• Evergreen structure. The silver canopy holds through winter, so it works as a garden tree first and an orchard tree second.
• You set the height. About 6m left alone, or an easy 3m to 4m with one pruning a year.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs.

Where it works best

Feature and grove planting. Plant 3m apart for an informal screen or a small grove. At that spacing the canopies meet at maturity while each tree still gets the light it needs.

Coastal gardens and windbreaks. Salt laden wind is not a problem, which puts it well ahead of citrus and stone fruit on an exposed block, and the upright habit suits a fence line on a rural property.

Growing the Kalamata olive in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the whole day. Olives set fruit on wood ripened in strong light, and a shaded tree grows leaves instead of olives. This variety suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens, so most of southern and inland Australia. It needs a cool winter period to flower well, which is why the humid tropics and subtropics are unreliable for cropping.

Soil. Drainage above all else. Thin, rocky, sandy or alkaline soils are fine. On heavy clay, plant on a mound 300mm high and work compost and gypsum through a wide area, because wet feet kills olives.

Water. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers. After that, a monthly soak from flowering through to fruit fill improves size and yield, but the tree survives without it.

Feeding and pruning. Complete fertiliser in early spring, and again after harvest if the tree cropped hard. Prune in late winter to an open vase, taking out vertical water shoots and anything crowding the centre. Kalamata is vigorous, so this is an annual job.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in ten sizes: tube, 200mm packs of six, 250mm packs of three, then 300mm, 400mm, 500mm, 45L, 75L, 100L and 200L. Tubes and multi packs are the economical route for a grove and catch up faster than most people expect. The 300mm to 500mm pots suit a single household tree, and from 45L to 200L the trees arrive with a formed trunk and canopy.

Plants travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Olives look static for a month or so after transplanting before they push new growth, which is normal. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full olive tree range
• Helena olive for a more compact tree
• Fruit trees for the home garden
• How to prepare a new garden bed

Common questions

How long before I get olives?

Two to four years from a 300mm plant, sooner from an advanced 45L or larger tree. Yields climb steadily for the first decade.

Do I need another olive tree for pollination?

Kalamata sets some fruit on its own, but crops considerably better with a second variety flowering nearby. If you have space for two trees, plant two varieties.

Can I eat the olives fresh?

No. Fresh olives are intensely bitter and must be cured in brine, water or dry salt over several weeks. Kalamata is one of the better varieties for home curing because of its size and firm flesh.