What Climate Is Ideal for Cultivating Figs & Olives?

Origins

• The olive tree originated around the eastern Mediterranean Sea, which corresponds to what we today generally call the Middle East, Asia Minor or west-central Asia. Cultivation spread across the rest of the Mediterranean basin where soils and climate were amenable, including the northern coast of Africa and southernmost Europe. The fig is native to more inland parts of western Asia, but also quickly spread across the Mediterranean region in cultivation.

Mediterranean Climate

• The native Mediterranean climate of both figs and olives is subtropical, in the mid-latitudes. The winters are cool and mild, but chilly with temperatures rarely colder than 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Rainfall and humidity is high during the winter months. In summer, the Mediterranean climate is hot and dry. Rainfall is absent and humidity is low. Annually, between 15 and 20 inches of rain fall on average, concentrated from fall to spring.

Climate Considerations

• Both figs and olives do need a winter dormancy, as they are not truly tropical plants, but more of warm-temperate to subtropical plant species. Fig trees lose their leaves in the frosts of winter, or during extreme prolonged drought. In mild climates, figs bloom twice per year, leading to two fruit crops annually. In chiller regions, only one crop occurs in late summer to early fall if frost doesn't occur too early. Olives are highly drought tolerant, but winter temperatures from 32 to 45 F increase flower production in spring and subsequent fruit production. High humidity and rainfall in summer leads to many disease problems, such as root rot in olives.

Hardiness

• There are numerous cultivars of both fig and olive trees. Cultivars are varieties bred for characteristics such as size or flavor of fruits, or plant hardiness -- the ability to survive winter cold. Olive trees are best grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b through 10, where the winter low temperatures are in the 15 to 40 F range. Olive trees die once temperatures dip below 12 F. Fig trees also die back in excessive cold, but resprout as long as roots do not freeze. Rejuvenating new branches every year limits fruit production. Grow figs in USDA zones 8 through 10, where winter cold is only in the range of 10 to 50 F.