It has been a slow process, but the planting is going well despite the hot summer. I just wanted to share the planting method I have been using through a series of pictures. Obviously, the first thing to do is dig the hole.  I must say it has been an absolute pleasure to do in the soft soil of the swale.  Digging holes in these usually compacted soils is very hard work.  Also worth mentioning here is that it will also be easier for the root systems of the olive trees to penetrate the soil using this design technique.

Clear out the loose soil to make a clear hole that's ready for the tree.

What I am doing here is putting in a pinch of worm castings from my worm farm.  This will give the trees a little helping hand in their first year and provide much needed nutrients.

I elected to use bamboo stakes for this project instead of hardwood stakes.  So far, it has been fantastic!  They are SO much cheaper than hardwood, are light weight and because of the smooth surface, they don't rub the trees raw when the wind blows.   Because of their flexibility, the tree moves with the bamboo - this also encourages the tree to throw out roots for stabilization.

In the below picture you can see the olives soaking in a bucket of water ready to be planted out.  I have added worm tea to the water, hence the brown colour.  This way they get a good water before going into the ground with a rich liquid fertilizer.

When planting the tree, I make a small well around the base - when it rains I want to catch as much water around the root base as the swales will not be as effective directly to the tree during the first couple of years.

Tie the tree to the bamboo stake.  I use a soft and very stretchy elastic so it can grow with the tree and not damage the trunk during any movement or growth.

With the left over worm tea in the bucket, I water the tree.

Time for the tree guard - I had around 400 tree guards for an area I re-vegetated with native gum trees although I didn't end up using them as I found the native trees were protected enough with just fencing.  I elected to use these for the olive grove.  I can't say that I am 100% happy with them as they constantly slip and need to be readjusted to the proper height ... this is something I will just have to monitor for the moment.

And there you have it - one planted olive tree!