New Addition to the Yard: Olives!

Since Portland's climate is so mild it's considered Mediterranean, we brainstormed about what kinds of additional plants we would like to have that might grow here. Nick said he'd really love to have some olive trees, so I did some research online and found that olives do in fact grow here. I even found this website, which is completely dedicated to growing olives in Oregon. They even have grove tours, and the following weekend was the last of the season, so I emailed them to get on the list.

Here is a photo of a row of their olive trees, which are really more like large bushes:

These olive trees are about 8 years old

This is a small family-owned grove located about an hour southwest of Portland. All of the information anyone could possible want about growing olives in Oregon is on the website. The guy who gave us the tour has tried all kinds of varieties and sells established cuttings of the ones that grow the best here.

We decided it would be really fun to grow our own even though it will take years to get a large harvest. Fortunately they are really easy. The grower said he doesn't water them because there is enough rain year round here and that he doesn't even prune them, though that's something we'll likely do to keep them looking clean and under control. 

They had several dozen varieties to choose from, and we decided to buy a single start of three different cultivars, which gives us ample opportunity for cross-pollination. Below are our olive babies, which are still doing great in their pots a month after we brought them home. The three kinds are Pendolino, Amfissa, and Santa Catarina. They are all table olives, which means we will cure them and eat them whole. The Amfissa and Santa Catarina olives are large and green, while the Pendolino are a smaller, darker variety. Chopped and mixed together they will make a great homemade tapenade.

Spring is the time to transplant these guys, so they will remain in their pots over the winter. Then we will plant them in the front yard near the street where they will all receive direct south/east sunlight, which is best for heavy olive production.