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Pick oranges now or wait? Here's how to know

Taste-test the fruit -- every year can be slightly different

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED DEC 26, 2024

These Washington navel oranges are very close to ripe. Taste one if you're not sure -- but it's best not to pick them all at once. Kathy Morrison

In early December a few years ago, I arrived at my community garden and noticed that the little navel orange tree in the Garden of Eatin' area (available to all the gardeners) had been picked clean. Oh, no, I thought, those oranges weren't ripe yet.

Sure enough, one of the other gardeners mentioned that he had tried one. "It was sour!" he said with surprise. Yes, the fruit had been orange in color, but it was too soon -- the sweetness that develops with colder weather hadn't happened yet. Another (small) crop lost to inexperience with the quirks of citrus trees.

Growing citrus can be, as I noted once, like keeping a pet cat: You love it, but rarely understand it. The trees follow their own calendar, which is nothing like the timelines for cherries or apples. The master gardener help desk often receives questions about citrus trees or fruit from perplexed homeowners.

Some citrus can be used at various stages of ripeness -- limes being a good example -- but navel oranges need to be fully ripe to be enjoyed.

So how to tell? There are clues: They should have full color, be heavy for their size, and be firm but not rock-hard -- they should give just slightly when squeezed.

But by far the best test is tasting one, or two, really: One from each side of a full-size tree. (One from a container tree should be plenty.) If it doesn't taste ripe, wait a week and try again.

One of my neighbors traditionally picks all her oranges on Christmas Day. That to me is a gamble -- and unless she gives most of the fruit away, creates other problems. Storage, for one. (If you must: Keep them in boxes in a cold garage, in one layer. Or juice them and freeze the juice.)

Also, citrus does not ripen off the tree, so whatever stage that fruit was in will be the stage it stays in, until it's eaten or rots.

"Storing" the fruit on the tree is generally the best move, with one caveat: If a hard frost is expected, pick all the ripe fruit before the cold hits. Make sure the tree is well-watered, too. Orange trees can survive temperatures down to 21 degrees, but the fruit may be damaged below 27 degrees or so, according to the UC Cooperative Extension experts. (The Sacramento master gardeners' Garden Note 127, "Growing Citrus in Sacramento," has a wealth of information. It can be found via "The Home Orchard" page on the master gardeners' website; it's the first link under Master Gardener publications and videos.)

"Citrus sensitivity to cold also depends on how long it stays cold, whether the trees are exposed or in a protected area, whether the trees are in a low area where cold air collects, and how old the trees are," the information also explains.

So become familiar with the timeline for your own tree or trees, noting the changes in the weather as winter continues. And enjoy those gorgeous oranges you've been growing all these months!

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An article about gardening.

Keywords:

oranges citrus navel oranges winter December backyard orchard harvesting citrus citrus and cold UC master gardeners help line UC Cooperative Extension fruit storage

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Garden checklist for week of April 19

After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!

* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

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