Thinking about growing your own olives? The Arbequina olive tree is one of the best varieties for home growers — especially if you're working with a patio, balcony, or small yard.
Unlike traditional olive groves that need acres of Mediterranean hillside, Arbequina adapts beautifully to container growing. Its silvery-green foliage looks great year-round, and with the right conditions, you can harvest your own olives for curing at home.
Why Arbequina?
Arbequina originated in Catalonia, Spain, and has become the world's most planted olive variety for a reason. The trees are naturally compact, precocious (they fruit young), and more cold-tolerant than many olive cultivars.
For patio growers, the key advantages are:
- Container-friendly: Thrives in a large pot with well-drained soil
- Manageable size: Easy to prune to 6-8 feet
- Self-fertile (partially): A single tree can produce, though a pollination partner improves yields
- Ornamental value: Beautiful even when not fruiting
What to Expect When You Order Online
When you buy an Arbequina olive tree online, it arrives as a live plant in a plastic grow pot. Here's what to do when the box arrives:
- Unbox promptly. Your tree has been in transit — give it light and air.
- Water thoroughly. Shipping soil can dry out. Soak until water drains from the bottom.
- Acclimate gradually. If it's going outdoors, give it a few days in dappled shade before full sun.
- Don't repot immediately. Let it settle for 1-2 weeks unless the pot is clearly too small.
Patio Growing Basics
Sun: Full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. A south-facing patio is ideal.
Soil: Well-drained. Use a quality potting mix amended with perlite or coarse sand. Olives hate wet feet.
Water: Deep but infrequent. Let the top 2 inches dry between waterings. Container olives need more frequent watering than in-ground trees, especially in summer.
Fertilizer: A balanced slow-release fertilizer in spring. Go easy — over-fertilizing produces leafy growth at the expense of fruit.
Winter: Arbequina handles brief dips to around 15-20°F, but in a pot the roots are more exposed. In zones below 8, bring containers indoors or into a garage during hard freezes.
Will It Fruit?
This is the most common question. Arbequina can fruit in a container, but several factors matter: the tree needs to be old enough (typically 2-4 years), it needs a winter chill period, and spring weather during bloom affects fruit set.
For reliable harvests, consider planting a second, different olive cultivar with overlapping bloom time as a pollination partner. Two Arbequinas together help less than two different varieties.
Even without fruit, it's a gorgeous patio tree. And when those olives do come? You'll need to cure them before eating — fresh olives are bitter and inedible straight off the tree.
Ready to Grow?
We ship healthy Arbequina olive trees in grow pots with free delivery. Shop the Arbequina Olive Tree →