Olive Trees - Copy

An ancient crop with numerous biblical references, the fruit's entry into Florida is up for debate.

Some historians say the first trees were brought by Spanish ships to Pensacola. The first olive trees in Central Florida may have been planted at New Smyrna Beach in the 1700s, according to historian Gary Luther's "History of New Smyrna, East Florida." Green Gate Olive Grove, founded in 1999 in Jackson County in Florida's Panhandle, is the state's oldest olive commercial grove in operation.

Several Varieties of Olive Trees have had good results in Florida. They are Arbequina, Mission and Manzanillo. All three are self-pollinating, cold hardy to at least 12 degrees, and are pest and disease resistant.