Taste-test the fruit -- every year can be slightly different
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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Food in My Back Yard Series
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of June 22
Mornings this first week of summer will remain comfortably cool – just right for gardening!
* Water early in the morning to cut down on evaporation. Check soil moisture and deep water trees and shrubs. Keep new transplants and veggies evenly moist. Deep water tomatoes to encourage deep roots.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.
* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
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