March in Olival: the awakening that heralds life

Azeite a Norte Blog
16 hours ago
4 min read

After February, which shaped the future with pruning, March arrives in the olive groves of Trás-os-Montes as a month of transition—the cold is still felt in the early mornings, but the sun gradually warms and the earth begins to awaken. The olive trees prepare for the great effort to come: budding and flowering between April and May.

While in the olive grove the sap rises slowly and the tree prepares to bloom, in the villages of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, wood-fired ovens heat up to bake Easter folares—bread filled with meat that celebrates the abundance after the Lenten austerity and which, not by chance, includes olive oil in its dough.

March is the month of rebirth—of the olive tree that awakens and of the earth that prepares for the explosion of life to come.

March: transition between winter and spring

March is a month of contrasts in Trás-os-Montes. Temperatures begin to rise, but morning frosts still occur. Rain alternates with sunny days, and the landscape takes on shades of green in the fields while the olive trees remain in apparent dormancy—but inside, biological processes accelerate.

It is in this month that the olive tree mobilizes the reserves accumulated during the winter, preparing for the budding that will soon occur. The buds begin to swell slightly, a sign that the sap is circulating more intensely and that the tree is preparing to produce the new branches that will bear the flowers [1].

Feeding the olive tree: spring fertilization

March is the ideal month to carry out the first fertilization of the year — an essential practice to ensure that the olive tree has the necessary nutrients for the vigorous growth that is approaching [2].

The transition from winter to spring is the time when the tree begins to awaken and mobilize reserves for vegetative development. Applying fertilizers at this stage — especially nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of leaves and branches — ensures that the olive tree begins its productive cycle vigorously [3].

In traditional olive groves in Trás-os-Montes, fertilization was done with animal manure — a practice that many olive growers still maintain, valuing organic fertilization that improves soil structure and provides nutrients gradually. In more intensive olive groves, controlled-release chemical fertilizers are used, adjusted to the specific needs of each tree [4].

Soil and leaf analysis is fundamental to determine exactly which nutrients to apply. Each olive grove has its own particularities: soils poor in nitrogen require a greater supply of this nutrient; Soils with unbalanced pH may require correction with lime; olive trees showing micronutrient deficiencies (iron, zinc, boron) benefit from supplementary foliar fertilization [5].

March is also the month in which many olive growers carry out soil improvement work — surface tilling to promote the penetration of spring rains, incorporation of organic matter, and control of spontaneous vegetation that competes with the olive tree for water and nutrients.

Phytosanitary surveillance: protecting the awakening

With the awakening of the olive tree, pests and diseases also awaken. March requires increased vigilance to anticipate problems that could compromise the entire harvest.

Peacock spot (Spilocaea oleagina), a fungal disease that causes circular spots on the leaves and can cause severe defoliation, takes advantage of spring humidity to develop. Preventive treatments with copper-based products or specific fungicides—especially if they were not carried out after pruning in February—are essential during this period [6].

It is also in March that monitoring for pests such as the olive moth (Prays oleae), whose larvae feed on developing flowers, or the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae), which although it causes damage mainly in summer, should be monitored early using monitoring traps [7], begins.

March in the villages: the Folar (Easter bread) and Easter traditions

While the olive trees awaken in the fields, the villages of Trás-os-Montes prepare for Easter — a celebration that, in Trás-os-Montes, far surpasses the religious dimension to become an affirmation of cultural and gastronomic identity.

The Folar de Trás-os-Montes — a bread dough enriched with eggs and olive oil, filled with smoked pork meats (ham, salpicão, bacon) — is the ultimate symbol of this season [8].

The making of the folar, which takes place in the days leading up to Easter, is a community and family ritual. The women knead the dough in large wooden troughs, using natural yeast saved from year to year; the wood-fired ovens — many of them centuries old, built of stone and clay — are heated with rockrose or broom wood; the houses fill with the unmistakable aroma of bread and roast meat.

All these traditions — like the awakening of the olive tree — celebrate rebirth, the victory of life over death, of spring over winter.

March to feel

For those visiting Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro in March, this is the month for the first spring walks—the cold is still felt, but the sun warms and the landscape comes alive. The fields begin to be covered in wildflowers, the streams run full with winter rains, and the air already carries the subtle scent of approaching spring.

The olive groves haven't yet donned the intense green of budding, but they no longer have the sleepy appearance of January. There's a contained energy, a silent preparation that the attentive visitor can feel. It's time to observe the careful work of the olive growers—fertilizing, preparing the soil, checking each tree individually.

March is also the perfect month for gastronomic experiences linked to the Trás-os-Montes Easter: participating in the making of Easter cakes in communal ovens, tasting the region's smoked meats, discovering how local olive oil integrates into all the traditional recipes—find out more at Experiences.

The preparation that defines the future

March teaches us that success isn't improvised—it's prepared for. The olive tree that is well-nourished now, that receives the necessary care, that has worked and healthy soil, will respond in April and May with vigorous budding and abundant flowering.

In the olive groves of Trás-os-Montes, where generations of olive growers have learned to read the signs of nature, March is the month of invisible care—that work that isn't visible in photographs but makes all the difference when harvest time arrives.

🫒 Follow along with us the olive tree's cycle month by month—in April, we'll see how the olive tree finally awakens, with full budding and the beginning of flowering that will announce the next harvest.