Pruning

I went round the older olive trees pruning out the unproductive vertical shoots and small branches. With the idea that there will be more sun and air for the branches with olives. I’m still amazed at how vigorous olive trees are. Luckily they can be pruned pretty much at any time except when in flower as long as you don’t go too radical. There is a difficult balance to be struck between focusing on fruit production and inadvertently causing the tree into super vigorous growth. I don’t use fertiliser:; weed control and adequate water seem more important. There again I don’t irrigate them except in extremis with two/three year-old plants.

These olives were on a branch I inadvertently pruned out. It’s notable how quickly they lose condition once off the tree. I’ll probably pickle them out of remorse. Change fresh water for 20 days to remove bitterness, then brine them in increasingly strong (or is it weak?) brine.

Overall the crop is looking our best yet. Sun and rain will hopefully improve the yield yet.


Winds forecast to gust (improbably) to Force 9 today. That would be extreme wind here. Fortunately the ground is still pretty rock hard dry so trees should not start pivoting on their roots. But you never know. We have some very tall poplars down by the torrent-cut gorge.

Would expect the wind to bring down a lot of walnuts from our sixty straggly trees. Off to collect now.