Ascolana Potted Olive Tree

Ascolana is a vigorous Italian olive cultivar valued for large, pale-green fruit used as table olives. The fruit has delicate flesh and should be handled carefully during harvest and curing.

• Botanical name: Olea europaea 'Ascolana'
• Plant form: One potted nursery tree; size varies by season
• Organic status: Not sold as certified organic
• Origin: Italy
• Primary use: Table curing; the fruit may also be pressed for oil
• USDA zones: 8–9
• Sun: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained soil
• Growth habit: Vigorous, upright standard tree with a dense canopy and slightly drooping fruiting branches
• Pollination: A compatible cultivar flowering at the same time may improve fruit set; current catalog suggestions include Frantoio, Leccino, and Pendolino
• Harvest: Pick green for table curing; harvest timing varies by climate and intended cure

Planting and care

Choose a full-sun site with excellent drainage. Dig a hole no deeper than the root ball and wider than the container. Set the tree at the same soil level it had in the pot, backfill with native soil, and water thoroughly. Keep the root zone evenly moist during establishment without leaving it waterlogged.

Prune lightly to develop a balanced canopy and remove dead, damaged, or crossing growth. Mature size, flowering, harvest timing, and crop size vary with climate, tree age, pruning, pollination, water, and care. Container-grown trees require more frequent irrigation and periodic root and canopy management.

Olives are bitter directly from the tree and must be cured before eating. See our olive growing guide, shop olive trees, or browse all potted fruit trees.