Helping You Successfully Grow an Olive Tree

In a way that suits your conditions.

Growing olives in cold climates isn’t rocket science.

Olives take more cold than many people realize. And they make a great potted plant.

They can produce fruit in cold climates or cool maritime climates.

When you choose appropriate methods and varieties.

Olive camp helps you choose well!

Get Set up for Cold-Climate Olive Success!

Our Live Camps Help Cold-Climate Gardeners Worldwide

David Esdaile

5 star rating

“I loved this course. The content was thorough, useful, practical and with multiple excellent photos to clarify. It was well organized, well presented, and was presented by Steven Biggs who has an unbridled enthusiasm and positive energy on all th...”

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“I loved this course. The content was thorough, useful, practical and with multiple excellent photos to clarify. It was well organized, well presented, and was presented by Steven Biggs who has an unbridled enthusiasm and positive energy on all things FIGS. There was lots of opportunity to ask questions at any moment in the course. Today, the day after the course, I have unpacked my two figs, buried under the snow, and, finding them alive and well, have brought them into our lean-to greenhouse for an early growing season (March 20) with 4 cm of snow expected otherwise outside today. The course offers a huge amount of great growing advice and then offers even more in terms of online references, watering techniques and further fig related internet sites. A friend of my wife's told her yesterday that you could never get a fig to grow to ripeness in Ottawa. I have every intention to prove her wrong and to add to my little fig collection when the temperature allows. Wonderful course. Cannot recommend it highly enough if you are even thinking of growing figs. Even if you are not, I'll bet you change your mind and are hooked! Did I say that I loved this course? Go for it. Thank you Steven”

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Olive Tree Looking Sad?

It's Common in Cold Climates

Potted olive trees stall.

Or they don’t make olives.

And you just aren’t sure what’s best for your olive tree!

How to Beat the Cold (and Grow Olives!)

Every garden is different. So there's no one-size-fits-all solution. But there's a solution that fits your garden.

That solution starts with these 3 things:

  • Moderate the Winter Temperatures

    You don't need a greenhouse to grow olives in cold climates! But you do need to protect them from extreme cold.

  • But Give Your Olive Tree a Chill

    Olive trees need “chill hours” to make flowers (and olives!)

  • Mind the Watering

    Just because you’ve seen pictures of olive trees growing in parched soil doesn’t mean that’s what’s best for your olive tree.

Learn How to Grow Olives

Olive Camp gives you the knowledge, tips, and creative ideas you need to grow a gorgeous olive tree in areas where they don't normally survive the winter.

  • 2 live, online classes where we talk about olive tree care, pruning, feeding, propagation, variety selection, and how to overwinter your olive tree. Value $60.

  • Classes are recorded so you can watch them again to soak up all of the ideas and tips.

  • The easy-to-follow e-guide sums up the information from camp for quick reference and review. Value $15.

  • Email support for your olive questions. Value $25.

  • Membership in our online community so you can ask your olive-growing questions any time. Value $100.

Grow a Beautiful Olive Tree

Where olives are not hardy, we can't always grow them by the book.

Our olive camp helps you with the rules.

And then helps you know when to bend the rules. So that you can tailor olive-growing to your unique growing conditions.

Every May

Join cold climate olive enthusiasts from around the world who successfully grow and harvest olives where it’s too cold for them to survive without a bit of extra TLC. We have a live, online 2-part Olive Camp in May, or a self-paced masterclass. Both give you a comprehensive deep dive into growing olives in cold climates, with a printable guide, recordings you can review again and again, interviews, and articles. 

Enrolment in the olive programs opens once a year. Hop on the waitlist below.



Hey there!

I'm Steven Biggs

I'm a cold-climate exotic crop expert, horticulturist, and former horticulture instructor with Durham and George Brown Colleges in Canada.

I wrote the award-winning books Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and Grow Lemons Where You Think You Can’t. My book Grow Olives Where You Think You Can’t comes out in late 2024.

I’ve been teaching people to push zone boundaries since 2011. In my work as a horticultural journalist, I get to meet people growing exotic plants where they aren’t supposed to grow, in inspiring ways...so many fun ideas!

I’d love it if you join me to geek out on all sorts of ideas to successfully grow olives in cold climates.
Questions? Email me!

Risk Free

We're committed to your success.

We’ll give you a full refund within 30 days of purchasing the course if you feel that it's not for you.

No questions asked.

What Our Students Say

We make learning fun!

“Another great camp experience! You did an outstanding job with content and information, slides and pictures, and your enthusiasm.”

Chet

“Great job! Enjoyed your presentation. You are easy to listen to and very clear to understand. Well done and greatly appreciate the opportunity.”

Deb

“Thanks so much for the great inspiration and information! I'm very grateful that you offered this. Really helpful and enjoyable.”

Alex

Maria Lit

5 star rating

“I really enjoyed the course. It had a good logical flow. I have only read Steve’s newsletter prior to this and was really impressed by his camp presentation. He is a great speaker and a very competent educator. The visual materials provided excell...”

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“I really enjoyed the course. It had a good logical flow. I have only read Steve’s newsletter prior to this and was really impressed by his camp presentation. He is a great speaker and a very competent educator. The visual materials provided excellent illustration of the subject discussed. The slide were very nicely done. There was room for questions. It was, actually, a lot of fun. I was impressed and inspired. I think I am going to take the plunge and plant one of my fig trees outside next spring! Thank you,Steve, and I think there is another class in my future.”

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FAQ

  • I already grow a potted olive tree. Is this for me?

    If you’re not happy with how your olive tree is doing, join us to go beyond the basics. We’ll discuss ideas and techniques to help you take your olive growing to the next level.

  • How long do I have access to the recording and community?

    You have unlimited access for 1 year.

  • What's the online community that's included with olive camp?

    The Food Garden Gang community is for students currently enrolled in our courses. We have Q+A areas for a number of topics, including olives. You can ask your questions, and share your wins.

  • I have specific questions about my olive tree. Will I be able to ask it?

    You sure will. That’s why we love running the live classes. We leave lots of time to discuss individual questions. And you can also send in questions by email if you think of some afterwards.

  • What currency are your prices in?

    Canadian dollars.

    (Which might make this even better value if you're outside of Canada! Even though many online businesses worldwide charge USD...we just don't like paying USD when shopping in Canada. That's why we charge C$.)

  • What if this isn't for me?

    We’ll give you a full refund within 30 days of purchasing the course. No questions asked.

Every May

Join cold climate olive enthusiasts from around the world who successfully grow and harvest olives where it’s too cold for them to survive without a bit of extra TLC. We have a live, online 2-part Olive Camp in May, or a self-paced masterclass. Both give you a comprehensive deep dive into growing olives in cold climates, with a printable guide, recordings you can review again and again, interviews, and articles. 

Enrolment in the olive programs opens once a year. Hop on the waitlist below.