Garden Harvest Olive

Garden Harvest Olive (Olea europaea 'Garden Harvest') is a compact fruiting olive bred for gardens with no room for a full sized tree. It settles at about 3m tall and 2m wide, roughly a third the size of a traditional olive, and it is self fertile, so one plant sets a genuine crop without a partner. Cream white flowers in spring are followed by fruit you can cure and eat.

Why you'll love it

• A real olive crop in a small garden. Self fertile and productive at 3m, so one tree in a courtyard does what used to need a paddock.
• Roots that stay out of trouble. Non invasive, so it is one of the few edible trees you can plant near paths and paving.
• Built for hard sites. Drought, heat and salt tolerant and content in poor soil, so it grows where most fruit trees give up.
• Excellent in a pot. Slow growing and naturally compact, so a large container holds it for years.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. Use a pot at least 500mm wide with free draining mix. Container growing holds it nearer 2m to 2.5m, and a matched pair either side of a doorway is a classic look.

Productive hedging. Plant 1m apart for a hedge that screens and fruits at once. Expect a lighter crop, since trimming removes wood that would have flowered.

Coastal gardens and small yards. Salt tolerance suits a front garden near the water, and at 2m wide it fits a bed where a standard olive never could.

Growing Garden Harvest Olive in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun and plenty of it. This suits Mediterranean, warm temperate, cool temperate and arid or semi arid gardens: Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and inland New South Wales. It is frost hardy once established. In humid subtropical and tropical gardens fruit set is poor and wet summers bring leaf problems.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Olives are happy in poor, rocky, alkaline ground and sulk in wet clay, so plant on a mound if your soil holds water.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first summer, then step back. Established trees fruit better on a lean diet, and too much nitrogen gives leaves instead of olives. One dose of slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Prune in late winter before flowering. Open the centre to let light in and keep the height within reach. Fruit forms on the previous season's growth, so avoid shearing the whole plant every year.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in 140mm packs of ten, 200mm packs of six and 250mm packs of three for hedging runs, then 75L and 200L for a mature tree from day one. The smaller packs are the value option and usually begin fruiting in their third or fourth season. The 75L and 200L specimens carry a formed trunk and a proper canopy.

Some leaf drop after transit is normal for an evergreen and not a fault. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A complete guide to growing olive trees
• Compare the full olive tree range
• Browse edible plants for the home garden
• Find more plants suited to large containers

Common questions

Do I need a second tree for fruit?

No. Garden Harvest is self fertile, so a single plant sets fruit on its own. A second olive nearby often lifts the yield, but it is not a requirement.

How long until it fruits?

From a 140mm or 200mm plant, usually three to four years. Larger 75L and 200L stock is often already of fruiting age and can crop in the first or second season.

Can I keep it in a pot permanently?

Yes, one of the better olives for the job. Use a pot 500mm or wider, refresh the top of the mix each spring, and expect it to hold around 2m to 2.5m.

Western Australia: this plant is listed as an environmental weed in WA, where it escapes from gardens into bushland. We do not recommend it for WA gardens. Please choose a local alternative.