More orange orbes
We’ve got a little vitamin C grove under our front window. Two years ago we planted 3 citrus trees - a Fremont tangerine, a Satsuma Tangerine and a Blood Orange.
Oranges are one of the most popular citrus varieties. A lush glossy leafed evergreen - oranges have been cultivated for over 4000 years for their fruit as well as oil derived from the leaves and intensely perfumy small white flowers.
Originally from Asia, oranges spread slowly throughout the world. When demand increased, they spread rapidly during the seventeenth century as European and later American trade developed. In the United States today, oranges have become an important crop for California, Florida and Texas.
Orange varieties can be categorized into two different types; bitter and sweet.
Seville oranges are the most well known of the bitter varieties and best used for marmalades and preserves.
Of the sweet varieties there are three types: juice, navel and blood oranges.
Valencia is the premiere juice orange because of its sweet tart flavor and juiciness. Valencias are usually thin skinned, very juicy and have few seeds.
Hamlins are another juicing variety that is much sweeter than Valencias but lack the tartness.
Another sweet variety is the navel orange, characterized by its thick easy to peel skin and has no seeds. Navels are a favorite for eating out of hand but can be used for juice too.
Lastly, blood oranges are known for their red flesh and intense berry like flavor. Blood oranges are much more common these days as many citrus growers have added them trees to their orchards. You can easily find blood orange trees in your local nursery.
It’s been two years and we’re still waiting for our blood orange tree to start producing so patience is a virtue when it comes to starting your own citrus grove.
Care for citrus trees is pretty minimal. Citrus do not like to have constant moist roots so only water when the soil is starting to dry and then water deep. Our very mature lemon tree in the back yard rarely needs water between the rainy season. If you do water too much your citrus tree will tell you…it’s leaves will start to curl or yikes, fall off. I know as I almost killed our lime tree which we have planted in an oak barrel in the back yard.
As far as fertilizing, here is a handy chart that tells you when and how much.
Here are a few more like this one:
