10 Reasons why we love Olive Trees

Here on our land in Alentejo, Portugal, one of our favorite tree is the Olive Tree. In our area, they are everywhere. Probably all our neighbours have some, whether just a few or actual olive groves. We just have done the inventory of the olive trees on our land and counted 54! Here are 10 reasons why we love Olive Trees so much :

1. Olive Trees are stunning

2. Olive Trees are very hardy, resisting to heat and drought

3. Olive Trees can grow in poor degraded soil

4. Olive Trees give habitat and food to wildlife

   • Several bird species use olive trees to nest, whether by building a nest tucked in the branches, or by using the holes in the trunk like the Common Hoopoe.

   • Olive Trees also provide food to wildlife and especially birds, by hosting many insects and producing olives.

5. Olive Trees give us shade all year long

6. Olive Trees give us mulch and firewood

   • Olive trees are great for mulch because their leaves and branches are a sustainable resource that improves soil health by adding nutrients, retaining moisture, and suppressing weeds.

   • As an Olive Tree can be perfectly healthy while having some dead branches or even trunks, we usually prune this dead wood and either leave it there for mulch or collect it for firewood. The medium size branches are great kindling and smaller branches and leaves are great fire starters.

7. Olives and the Olive Tree leaves have medicinal benefits

8. Olive Trees capture moisture in the air all year long

9. Olive Trees are great fun, especially for our boys!

10. and of course, Olive Trees give us olives!

Feel free to check this video where we tell all about the Olive Trees of our land.

Harvest is around the corner and we cannot wait to do it. It is hard very hard to tell how many kilos we can get, but what we know for sure by looking at our trees is that it will be for sure the best season yet!