The Olive Calendar: The Olive Year Month by Month

The olive year does not begin with the harvest; it ends with it. This calendar sets out the year of the tree and the grower month by month: when to prune, when it flowers, which olives are picked when.

⚠ These are typical ranges for Turkey and the Mediterranean basin; they shift by two or three weeks with altitude, region and the year's weather.

January — The end of harvest, the last days of pressing

Picking continues in late regions; mills press the final batches. New oil is left to settle. In colder areas this is the period of highest frost risk, and young saplings are protected.

February — Pruning

Once the danger of frost has passed, pruning begins. The aim is to let light into the tree and renew the previous year's growth. Cut branches and leaves are put to use; leaves are set aside for tea and fodder.

March — Pruning finished, feeding

Pruning ends. As the soil warms, feeding is done. ⚠ Excess nitrogen makes leaves, not fruit. Weed control and soil work belong to this month.

April — Budding

Flower buds appear. The tree's need for water begins to rise. Frost in this period can strike that year's crop directly.

May — Flowering

Small whitish flowers open in clusters. Pollination is by wind; having different varieties together markedly raises yield. ⚠ Extreme heat and dry wind during flowering reduce fruit set — the year's crop is largely decided in these weeks.

June — Fruit set and natural drop

Fertilised flowers become small fruit; the tree naturally sheds part of what it cannot carry. In irrigated groves water demand rises.

July — Fruit growth and heat stress

The fruit grows and the stone hardens. Drought and heat stress peak. The struggle against olive fly begins in these months.

August — Oil accumulation begins

Oil formation in the fruit accelerates. Preparations begin for early picking of green table olives. Olive fly pressure continues.

September — Green table olive harvest

Green table olives begin to be picked — full-sized but still green. Curing and cracked olive production start this month. It is still early for oil.

October — Early harvest and the opening of the mills

The olive oil harvest begins. Oil from early-picked green olives is more bitter, more pungent and richer in polyphenols; yield is lower but the price is higher. Mills open and the first trades appear on the exchanges.

November — The peak of the harvest

The fruit turns — from green to purple — and for most growers this is the ideal balance. Harvest and pressing are at their most intense. ⚠ Picked olives should be pressed within 24 hours; acidity rises in fruit left waiting.

December — Late harvest, black table olives

Fully ripe black olives are picked; oil content is at its highest and polyphenols at their lowest. Black table olive curing and dry-salt production belong to this period. New season oils start reaching the shelves.

At a glance

Related: the olive harvest · how to grow an olive tree · how olives are cured · cold pressing