Harvest olives when the fruit is the color you want, from green-ripe through rose to black, and handle it gently.
Pick when the fruit is the color you want
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Green-ripe | Full size, even yellow-green to straw; a squeeze shows creamy juice | Do not pick hard, undersized fruit |
| Turning | Rose to red-brown skin, still firm | Do not mix very green fruit with soft black fruit in one batch |
| Black-ripe | Dark red to purple or black, still on the tree | Do not gather fruit that has already dropped |
olive ripens over weeks, not in one day. Fruit on the same tree will not all turn at once, so pick for the stage you want. [1] Green-ripe olives are the first mature crop in fall. Turning fruit is still firm. Naturally black fruit is later and bruises easily, so handle it with care. [2]
When do I pick olives?
When they have reached full size and the color you want, from green-ripe to black. Taste and feel matter more than a calendar.
How to harvest olives
Work from the tree, not from the ground.
- Spread a clean sheet or tarp under the canopy if you will strip a whole limb.
- Wear gloves. Slide a hand down the shoot to strip fruit, or pick each olive if you want less bruising.
- A light shake onto the sheet is fine. Do not beat the branches so hard that you break next year’s wood.
- Keep fruit in the shade, and use it soon. Fruit that has already dropped is usually spoiled, so leave it on the ground.
A few light pickings are kinder than one hard shake. Fruit on the sheet still needs shade the same hour you pick it. [3]
Should I wait until every olive is black?
No. Mix stages if you must, then sort. Skin color alone is not the whole test; the fruit should feel right when you squeeze it.
They are bitter until you cure them
Raw olives off the tree are too bitter to eat. Curing is kitchen work, not a garden cut. Cool the fruit and start that kitchen job the same day if you can. Oil from a backyard tree is the same kind of kitchen job. [4]
Can I eat olives off the tree?
Not with any pleasure. They stay bitter until you cure them. That is a kitchen step, not a garden cut.
Pick at the color you want, keep fruit off the ground, and leave curing to the kitchen.
FAQ
Do I pick after I prune?
Pick first. Prune after harvest so you can see what bore, then open the center on Pruning Olive.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] UC Agriculture and Natural Resources -
https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2025-06/8267-Olives.pdf - [2] University of Arizona Campus Arboretum -
https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=189 - [3] Harvest to Table -
https://harvesttotable.com/how-to-plant-grow-prune-and-harvest-olives/ - [4] Australian Olive Association -
https://australianolives.com.au/knowing-when-to-pick-your-olives/
This note is part of Olea Guides.
More harvest timing notes by plant live in Harvesting Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors