Tree (container)
How to grow an olive tree in a pot
Olea europaea
In the UK an olive is best grown in a pot, in the sunniest, most sheltered spot you have, against a south or west-facing wall. Plant or repot in April or May into loam-based compost with a quarter grit, and raise the pot on feet. It is hardy to about -10 °C when the roots are dry, so winter wet does more harm than cold. Water regularly in summer, feed from March to July, and prune in late spring.
- Hardiness
- Frost-hardy to about −10°C if dry at the root
- Position
- Full sun, sheltered
- Soil
- Gritty, very free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.5 to 8.0
- Water
- Low to moderate; sparingly in winter
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting an olive tree in a pot
WhenPlant Apr to May; flowers Jun; move to shelter Nov to Mar in cold areas
Starting off
Plant or repot Apr to May so the roots work through the summer; buy a plant with a trunk of 3 to 5 cm, as the twisted, gnarled old specimens cost ten times as much and transplant worse. Propagate by 10 cm semi-ripe cuttings in Jul to Aug in gritty compost with bottom heat at 20°C, rooting slowly in 2 to 3 months; seed is slow and variable. Repot or top-dress with fresh compost every Mar.
Spacing and planting
In a UK pot an olive is held at 1.5 to 3 m by 1.5 m; in the open ground in the mildest coastal gardens it reaches 5 to 8 m by 5 m in 30 years. Start in a 40 to 45 cm pot and move up 10 cm every 2 to 3 years to a final 60 to 75 cm tub of loam-based compost with 25 per cent grit over a 5 cm layer of crocks; raise the pot on feet so the base never sits in water. Safest in a container in colder areas and on heavy, wet soil; in a sunny, sheltered, well-drained spot it can be planted out.
Varieties worth growing
- 'Arbequina'
- Compact Spanish variety that is self-fertile and starts to fruit young; the usual choice for a pot.
- 'Leccino'
- Tuscan variety with a good record for cold tolerance and a graceful, slightly weeping habit. Fruits better with a second variety nearby.
- 'Frantoio'
- Self-fertile Tuscan olive with long silvery leaves; a good pollinator for 'Leccino'.
- 'Cipressino'
- Narrow and upright, tolerant of wind and salt; one for an exposed terrace or a tight space.
An olive tree in a pot month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Keep the compost just moist. Fleece the head and wrap the pot if a hard frost is forecast.
- February
As January. Do not feed or prune.
- March
Top-dress with fresh compost and the first feed. Bring trees out of winter shelter late in the month.
- April
Plant or repot. Start regular watering. Prune once the risk of hard frost has passed.
- May
Finish pruning: thin the centre, shorten leaders. Second top-dress mid month, watered in.
- June
Flowering. Water whenever the top few centimetres are dry.
- July
Water. Last top-dress early in the month. Semi-ripe cuttings. No pruning from now on.
- August
Keep watering. No feed from now on.
- September
Reduce watering as growth slows. No feed.
- October
Check drainage holes and put the pot on feet. Any fruit colours from green to purple.
- November
Move to a sheltered wall, porch or cold greenhouse in cold areas. Water sparingly.
- December
Keep just moist. Have fleece ready.
Feeding an olive tree in a pot
A moderate feeder in a pot, because the roots cannot forage. A balanced top-dress in March, repeated lightly in mid May and early July; nothing from August to February.
In a pot, a balanced feed through the growing season; sharp drainage is essential.
Feeding plan
Planting or repotting, April to May
5 g per litre of rootball, dusted onto the roots so it touches them: 50 g for a 10 litre rootball. Once only.
Potting, in the new compost
5 g per litre of compost mixed through, the bottom of the label range: 200 g for a 45 cm pot (about 40 litres).
March, established pots
2 to 4 g per litre of compost scattered on the surface and watered in: 80 to 160 g for a 45 cm pot (about 40 litres). Use the lower figure the year after repotting.
Mid May and again in early July
2 g per litre of compost, the low end of the label top-dress, scattered on the surface and watered in: 80 g for a 45 cm pot (about 40 litres). Dressings are at least 5 to 6 weeks apart, the label interval. Nothing after early July, so the growth hardens before winter.
The live entry lists Garden Lime. It is left out of this plan: an olive in loam-based compost does not need it, and the label says to lime only after a pH test.
Signs to watch
Yellow leaves dropping in Feb to Mar → waterlogged, cold compost rotting the roots, not hunger → tip the pot, let it dry, improve drainage with grit and crocks. Pale yellow-green leaves and thin growth in Jul → nitrogen exhausted in old compost → the dry top-dressings in the feeding plan and fresh compost on top in Mar. Older leaves yellow between the veins in a pot → magnesium short after potash
Pests, diseases and problems
Small brown or grey bumps along stems and under leaves, with sticky leaves and black sooty mould
Scale insects; the mould grows on their honeydew
Rub the scales off with a thumbnail or soft brush, wash the leaves, and spray with a plant soap in early summer when the young are on the move. Worst on trees kept under cover.
Round, dark, sooty spots on the leaves, sometimes with a yellow halo, followed by leaf drop
Olive peacock spot, a fungus that spreads in cool, wet weather
Pick off and bin spotted and fallen leaves, thin the centre of the tree at pruning time so it dries quickly, and keep the tree out of winter rain where you can.
Leaves brown and fall, shoot tips die back and bark splits after a hard winter
Frost damage, usually on a tree that went into the cold with wet roots
Wait until May, then cut back to live wood; olives reshoot well from old wood. Next winter wrap the pot, fleece the head below about -5 °C, and keep the compost on the dry side.
Leaves yellow and drop through winter in a pot that feels heavy and wet
Root rot in waterlogged compost
Raise the pot on feet, clear the drainage holes, and move the tree under the eaves. Repot into fresh gritty compost in April, cutting away any black, soft roots.
One branch wilts and dies in summer while the rest stays green
Verticillium wilt
Cut the branch out to clean wood and clean the tools afterwards. Repot into fresh compost and do not reuse the old.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Prune in Apr to May once frosts are over, thinning the centre so light reaches the inner branches, removing dead, crossing and weak shoots, and shortening leaders by a third to keep a rounded head; flowers and fruit form on last year's growth, so leave plenty of 1-year-old shoots. Do not prune after Jul. Move the pot to a cold greenhouse, porch or against a south wall from Nov to Mar in cold areas, w
Good to knowHardy to about −10°C but hates wet roots, shelter the pot and keep it free-draining over winter.
Growing an olive tree in a pot in pots
A pot is the safest way to grow an olive in colder areas and on heavy, wet soil. Start a young tree in a 40 to 45 cm pot and move up 10 cm every two or three years to a final 60 to 75 cm tub. Use loam-based compost with a quarter grit, over crocks, and stand the pot on feet. Olives are drought-tolerant in the ground but not in a pot: water whenever the top few centimetres are dry from April to September, as a tree that dries out in summer drops leaves and flowers. In winter keep the compost barely moist. A heavy terracotta or stone pot stops the tree blowing over.
An olive tree in a pot: common questions
Will an olive tree produce olives in the UK?
Sometimes, in a warm, sheltered spot after a hot summer, but treat fruit as a bonus. The tree needs a cool winter to set flower buds, then a long warm season to swell the fruit, and self-fertile varieties such as 'Arbequina' give the best chance. Olives are inedible straight from the tree and have to be cured in brine.
Can olive trees stay outside in winter?
Yes in most of England, where an established tree in free-draining compost takes about -10 °C. Young trees and pots are more vulnerable: move the pot against a sunny wall, raise it on feet, wrap the pot and fleece the head when a hard frost is forecast. Cold, wet compost is the real danger.
Why is my olive tree dropping leaves?
Check the watering first. Waterlogged compost in winter and a dried-out pot in summer both cause leaf drop, as does a sudden move indoors into warm, dim conditions. Some shedding of older leaves in spring as new growth starts is normal.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.