Olive the Olive Fruit Trees
Last week, we noticed actual olives growing from our newly planted olive tree.
Part 11 in the Flow the Desert project.
Exciting times! Our olive trees have started to bear fruit. They were one of the first fruit trees we planted on the property, specifically chosen for a few reasons:
- They are hearty fruit trees that adapt well to arid environments
- Olive trees (and their branches) symbolize peace in a variety of cultures
- The amount of organic matter they drop back to the ground— when mature — means lots of compost for the soil
- My daughter loves eating olives, sometimes eating an entire can before someone can stop her before dinner
One of the tallest trees on our property is an olive tree we planted in January. Spanning over 7 feet tall, it now provides an incredible amount of shade for the insects, small mammals, and even our dogs.
One of our favorite visitors, Wafi, noticed the fruit on an olive tree as we were finishing up a tour. I had just watered this particular tree the other day, and was shocked that I missed the explosion of fruit. We all gathered around it and marveled at the healthy growth.
More than a year ago, before we found this land and started to cultivate it, I said I would be happy if even one tree lived.
Now? The trees we planted are thriving better than anyone expected. In its place, a new dream emerges: I’d love to host a large-scale tree planting event during the harvest season, so people can eat the fruit while planting new trees.
Thanks for reading.
If you enjoyed this, you’ll also like:
“Flow The Desert” Essay Series
a desert garden from conception to completion
1. Art As Praxis — Embarking on Regreening the Desert
2. Why I’m Investing In Barren Land
3. Seeing the Tech for the Trees
4. There’s A Wave You Can Ride Into Spring
5. What I Wish I Knew About Desert Land — A Realistic List
6. The Shape Of A Space
7. If You Need A Place To Bleed
8. As If Waking From A Years Long Slumber
9. The Tale Of Two Skoolies
Billimarie Lubiano Robinson is a wandering artist and writer.
From 2011 to 2015, she traveled around the U.S. with her pink 1950’s Royal typewriter and typed hundreds of spontaneous #FreePoetry poems for strangers on the spot. Well-versed in the art of reckless wandering, Billimarie has backpacked Hawaii, hitchhiked the West, lived in a Parisian bookstore, and survived a Swedish winter alone in the remote wilderness. Her work has appeared in FIYAH, the Newer York, the Northridge Review, Marías at Sampaguitas, Pussy Magic, the Eastern Iowa Review, as well as on her websites: Billimarie.com and TypewriterPoetry.com.
She currently lives part-time on an RV Bus and art studio in the Los Angeles desert: the Starry Night Skoolie. Billimarie is spending a season planting trees and maintaining a tiny native forest. You are invited to join this desert garden journey at For Every Star, A Tree.
