How to grow olive trees indoors?
If you decide to grow the olive tree indoors, choose a variety of dwarf olive trees. These are perfect for a decorative touch inside your home, or to decorate a balcony or terrace. Choose a location in your home that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Avoid letting the olive leaves touch the glass, as this can intensify the sun’s rays and therefore burn them.

Use a large pot with holes to ensure good drainage, fill it halfway with a good organic mixture or a sandy mixture. Otherwise, if you have taken your tree in a nursery pot, turn it upside down, slide the tree and gently separate the roots. Then put the tree in a pot and add more soil and don’t plant it deeper than its original pot.
Water your tree once a month in fall and winter, and add a balanced organic fertilizer. When spring arrives, water your olive tree twice a month and add a quick-release fertilizer. If you grow your olive tree indoors, you’re probably not going to harvest olives. In order to harvest it, the tree needs a drop in night temperatures, as well as two temperatures less than 50 degrees.
Remember to gradually expose your tree to the sun when the climate warms up and keep an eye on the ground to make sure it doesn’t dry out. After about 7-10 days, you can expose your olive tree in direct sunlight outside.

Here is how to grow your olive tree outdoors:
If you live in hardiness zones of 8 or more, you can plant your olive tree outside. Find a place well exposed to the sun, and if necessary, replace the soil with compost or other organic mixtures to improve its drainage.
Then dig a hole that is twice the diameter of your potted tree, or even deeper. When you water your olive tree, make sure that the water does not run. Use a soaking hose or micro-irrigation to prevent water from flowing elsewhere.
As soon as your tree starts to bloom in the spring, be sure to feed it monthly with a balanced fertilizer or a slow-release fertilizer.
Little Reminder: Where to plant my olive tree?
The olive tree requires heat and sun, and does not tolerate humidity. It should therefore be planted in full sun, and especially sheltered from strong winds.
This parameter is particularly important in Provence where mistral and tramontane risk breaking certain branches of the tree, slowing its growth, and even giving a significant inclination to its trunk. An olive tree can also find its place in a pot or a tray to decorate a balcony.
Is my garden suitable for olive trees?
Yes, even if your soil is a bit stony and provided it is not too wet. The olive tree does not like standing water. “You need a draining soil,” insists Michel Lis, passionate gardener and author of numerous works on his art. On the other hand, avoid the grounds facing north, the olive tree is a tree of light.