Vera Sergeeva | View Article
Nothing gets more discussion among olive growers than when to harvest. Fruit maturation depends, among other things, on olive variety, temperature, sunlight and irrigation. A hot autumn can cause fruit to ripen quickly, resulting in a narrow window for optimum picking. Some varieties will ripen faster than others, and olives may mature later in some parts of the orchard than in others. Some farmers are also forced to pick greener fruit than they want, to hedge against frost damage.