After a difficult year for harvesting, where only 10% of the cereal crop was harvested and no pulse vegetables could be gathered, we are concluding a year of hard work and important economic setbacks with quite acceptable results in our olive grove. While certain olive groves yielded have had no production, the younger ones proved the more fruitful with a good yield.
In order to achieve these good yields in the olive grove, we have had to perform three main precise and persevering work: proper pruning, correct soil management and appropriate phytosanitary and fertiliser treatments. When these three things are done, the olive grove usually thanks you with good yields.
The olive groves harvested were planted in 2018 and 2019, so they have practically entered into production this year. Last year we already collected some olives of them (about 500kg) and this year we had a little more than 4.000kg. On the other hand, the oldest olive grove (about 30 years old) did not produce anything, so we lacked another 5,000 kg. In addition, the olive grove that was destroyed by the famous Filomena storm (planted in 2017) and should be cut to the ground, is still recovering 6 years after it was planted.
All in all, it is a joy to be able to have a good production after a catastrophic summer of cereals and pulse vegetables... we have to recognise that the sunflower was not bad either, although the yields obtained were quite normal. We will continue to work the olive grove so that the fields that have not had a yield this year will have one next year, and for that, the first thing will be to prune them correctly.
