A 3‐year study was conducted to evaluate the effects of tree shelters on young olive (Olea europaea) tree growth and physiology. The trial was carried out in the Apulia region in southern Italy using 1‐year‐old plants of the cultivar ‘Coratina’. Four different types of polypropylene shelters were tested: 75‐cm‐high brown; 90‐cm‐high brown; 75‐cm‐high green; 120‐cm‐high light‐green vented, with holes in their basal part. Both green shelters significantly increased the vertical growth of the trees, especially the 120‐cm light‐green vented ones. Shelters did not increase the amount of dry matter produced, but they modified its allocation within the tree, favouring vertical growth and the development of shoots in the apical parts of the trees.