If your sister wants an olive tree it would be best to buy a named variety from a reputable source. Buying olive seeds on ebay is a high risk strategy - quite possibly the seeds are from preserved olives and unlikely to even be viable. Even if the seed is viable you will end up with a seedling which will a) take years to fruit and b) not necessarily produce good quality olives. Olives are normally grown from layers or cuttings or are grafted in the same way as other fruit such as apples.

Tell your sister to find a neighbor or a park with olive trees that bear fruit. There are many non-fruiting varieties.

At the bottom of each tree are suckers. She can cut the suckers with some bark off, strip all but the top leaf, and cut that in half, dip the bottom in rooting hormone, and bury it deep in the ground in semi-shade. I did this 3 years ago with golf course trees, and I now have two 6' olive trees! I didn't cut into the bark to get my suckers. I literally ripped them off the trees! We were golfing, and into my water cup they went for the ride home.

We processed the huge green olives on those golf course trees and they are delicious! I know what my olive suckers are capable of producing. I suggest your sister ask permission. Most people hate the suckers because they make the trunk look messy and will happily gift them to her. Out of 10 suckers, 2 lived. I will never forget the day a tiny leaf emerged next to the one leaf at the top of the first cutting. I KNEW I had roots, and I really enjoy watching them grow!

Good luck!
Suzi

desertdance - have your trees from suckers fruited yet? I've read that the fruit is not usually satisfactory since named olive varieties are frequently grafted.

thank you for the instructions! how do you process your olives? water , brine or lye?

My trees from suckers are only 3 years old, and I don't expect fruit for a few years, but they are healthy and have been pruned twice!

I processed my green olives by putting them in brine (very salty water) in a dark room (closet with the door closed), and changing the brine every few days. I weighed them down with a plate, so there would be no floaters. There are many recipes on the web. I put slices of garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs in red wine vinegar, and let those become infused for about a month or so. Then, when the olives were tasty, they were covered with red wine vinegar, garlic, lemon, and various herbs.

I wish I knew what kind of olives they are, but they are huge! We picked them off of the golf course trees while waiting for other players to tee off, so I know what my trees can produce.

Time will tell what I've got!
Suzi.

that's awesome! i think there are but a few of the large variety. sevilla olives being one of them. i'm not very picky with olives, i like to eat them sure but what my sister is after is just the general look of the plant/tree. they're also pretty :)

I am following this thread.