Alright, so, I’ve been messing around with olive trees lately, trying to figure out the best way to grow these things. It’s been a bit of a journey, I gotta say. Started out with a couple of small trees in pots, just to see if I could keep them alive, you know?
First thing I did was some basic reading online. Nothing fancy, just the usual stuff about how olive trees love the sun and hate the cold. I figured, “Okay, I live in a pretty sunny place, so that should be fine.” I put the pots on my balcony, where they’d get blasted with sunlight pretty much all day.
- Sunlight: Made sure they got at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Seemed happy enough soaking up those rays.
Then came the whole temperature thing. Now, I knew they liked it warm, but I wasn’t sure exactly how warm. More reading, and I found out that the sweet spot is somewhere around 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season. That’s pretty much the weather we get here during the summer, so I thought I was golden.
But here’s the thing, I also learned that they can handle some temperature swings, and I started to watch the weather a little more closely. There’s a lot of talk about them being Mediterranean plants, and I guess that makes sense. Hot and dry summers, mild and wet winters. That’s kind of what we have, but not really. I mean, we get some cold snaps, and the summers can be crazy humid, not exactly dry.
- Ideal Temperature: Aimed for that 70-90F range, which worked out during the summer months.
Experimenting a Little
So, I started paying more attention to the actual temperature readings. Kept a little thermometer out there on the balcony, just to see what was really going on. And you know what? It got hotter than I thought sometimes. Like, way up into the high 90s. The trees didn’t seem to mind too much, though. They kept growing, leaves looked healthy, all that. I read somewhere that they can take temperatures up to 104F, but I never really saw it get that high here.
But then winter rolled around, and that’s when things got a bit tricky. We don’t get super cold winters here, but it definitely drops below freezing sometimes. And from what I read, that’s not ideal for olive trees. They can tolerate a bit of cold, but not for too long. So I kept a real close eye on the forecast, and as soon as it was gonna dip below, I decided to bring them inside.
- Winter Worries: Brought them inside when the temperature was going to drop below freezing. Better safe than sorry, right?
What I Learned
Overall, it’s been a learning experience. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert now or anything, but I’ve definitely got a better feel for what these trees need. The temperature is a big part of it, for sure, but it’s not the only thing. You gotta think about the soil, the water, all that stuff. It’s all connected, you know? I am still experimenting and learning. I’ll keep you guys updated!
