Container Olive is a perennial grown for its fruit, ready to harvest about five years after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 8 through 10, stands up to deer, handles dry spells once it's established, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground.
Container Olive — the short answer
Container Olive: grown in zones 8–10, full sun, pH 5.3–8.5, ~5 yr to first harvest.
- USDA zones
- 8–10
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH
- 5.3–8.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- To First Harvest
- ~5 yr
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 15°F
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Container Olive on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether container olive actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score container olive against your land's real conditions.
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What Container Olive is
Container Olive grows as a perennial and reaches around six feet at maturity. It blooms white in spring. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
Mature height, flower colour, deer resistance and container suitability: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Container Olive
Container Olive grows in USDA zones 8 through 10 and is ready to harvest about five years after planting. Container Olive does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.3 to 8.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 3,500 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
8-10
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
5.3 - 8.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Drainage
well (dry spells)
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Frost Kill Temperature
15°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
To First Harvest
~5 years
Olive; Mediterranean; low chill; zone 8+ for in-ground. ~5 yr from container plant; commercial production year 5-7.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
3500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
6 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant container olive in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Container Olive prefers pH 5.3 to 8.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water while it roots in
Water deeply while container olive establishes, letting the soil dry between soakings; once its roots are in, it rides out dry spells on its own. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Harvest at maturity
Container Olive is ready about five years after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Pick when the fruit is full-colored and parts easily from the stem.
Where Container Olive thrives
Container Olive is hardy across USDA zones 8 through 10. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 8–10 spans average winter lows from 10°F to 40°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 1 outright and splits 27 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 8–10·Where Container Olive growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Container Olive stands, state by state
Container Olive is rated for zones 8–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 1 sits fully inside that band, the line runs through 27 more, and 23 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
27 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 27 shown
Container Olive’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Container Olive
Growing guides for container olive
Related plants in fruit
Good to know
Container Olive isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Before you harvest container olive, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant container olive for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Container Olive's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Container Olive will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether container olive actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Container Olive
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Container Olive in my zone?
Container Olive grows in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 10 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Container Olive take to grow?
Container Olive is ready to harvest about five years after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Container Olive?
Most growers plant container olive after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Container Olive need?
Container Olive needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Container Olive need?
Container Olive prefers soil pH 5.3 to 8.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Container Olive attract pollinators?
Container Olive isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Keep exploring Container Olive
Container Olive state by state
Every state container olive's zone reaches — 1 link straight to that state's container olive growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.