Citrus Fruits
How to Grow Tasty Citrus Outside in Zone 7+ (Tangerines, Grapefruit, Oranges, & More)
JustFruitandExotics Citrus page – none can be shipped outside of Florida. Use as reference.
Hamlin orange
Proven varieties sold at the McKenzie nursery:
(Info below mainly copied from http://mckenzie-farms.com/photo.htm)
Mckenzie Farms 2115 Olanta Hwy Scranton, SC29591
YUZU or citrus junos… Yuzu is a cold-hardy citrus from the highlands of Japan. Yuzu has been reported to survive temperatures into the low teens. Fruit has a complex flavor of lemon/lime/grapefruit and is useful as an ingredient in seafood, sherbets, cosmetics and more. It has attractive foliage similar to that of a kumquat. According to Sunset, it is hardy to -18C/0F (zone 7) which explains why it is often used as rootstock in Japan.
Ten Degree Tangerine: “The Ten Degree tangerine certainly lives up to its name. My tree has never been exposed to 10 F but has sailed thru a night of 13 F with flying colors.” Tree is very thorny but produces good crops of tangerines with a somewhat sweet/tart flavor. (Some say “quite sour.”) The ten degree tangerine was developed in Texas and has Yuzu and some other mandarins in its bloodline.
Mandarin & Hybrids
Browns Select Satsuma: Browns Select Satsuma is probably my favorite of all the satsumas. Flesh is melting and sweet. The trees bear great crops.
Owari Satsuma: Owaris are sweet, seedless and zipper skinned. Trees are very cold hardy down to around 12 F. Trees bear good crops of medium sized fruits beginning around the 3rd year from planting.
Kimbrough Satsuma: The kimbrough satsuma has its origins in Louisiana. It was discovered after a killer freeze that destroyed much of Louisianas satsuma crop back in the early 1900’s. The kimbrough is believed to be slightly more cold hardy than other satsuma varieties. The tree in this picture has survived single digits for brief periods of time. Hardy to around 12 F
Satsuma Mandarin Plants (hardy): Toby Parker of Turbeville, SC admires another bumper crop of satsumas at his residence. Toby actually ships fruit to friends in Arkansas every year! Other types of satsumas available are miyagawa, dobashi beni, okitsu, Mr Mac,and a new release from China called China 9.
Changsha Mandarin Plant (extra hardiness) Changsha: Changshas come from the foothills of China and are very cold hardy once they have grown to maturity. Fruits are small, bright orange and somewhat seedy. The flavor is very sweet and is very good as a juicer. Hardy to around 5-10 F This fruit is indeed very sweet without the bad after taste. The downside to this mandarin is it is full of seeds.
Grapefruit & Hybrids
Bloomsweet Grapefruit: The Bloomsweet produces bountiful crops of large delicious grapefruits. Trees are very hardy and withstand temps down to around 15 F. Bloomsweet comes to us from Japan is called Citrus Kinkoji.
Citrumelo: Citrumelo is a hybrid of the trifoliate orange (bitter melon) and grapefruit. Trees are very vigourous growers and the fruit is very similar to commercial grapefruits. Trees have been reported to produce fruit as far north as Tennesee.
U.S.-119 is another cold-hardy citrus that would be an exceptional tree to try. U.S. 119 is a complex cross. It is a citrumelo crossed with a sweet orange. Technically it is a {(Poncirus trifoliata x Citrus paradisi) x Citrus sinensis}, or in other words a cross of a trifoliate orange with a grapefruit, then that cross is again crossed with a sweet orange. U.S. 119 has LARGE grapefruit-like leaves and orange fruit. What is really different about the foliage is that the tree has a mixture of unifoliate, bifoliate and trifoliate leaves, with trifoliate leaves dominating. The fruit is also very attractive, with a deep orange color and a smooth peel. The fruit’s pulp has a very appealing rich orange color and few to no seeds. The taste is sweet with just a touch of trifoliate aftertaste. U.S. 119 has been touted to be hardy to 10F (-12C) after the tree has reached some maturity. Young plants have been injured by temperatures in the low 20s. The flavor is sweet orange, with very few off-flavorrs, good quality, which is rare in cold-hardy citrus varieties. Can be eaten out of hand.
Limes
Ogeechee Lime: not a true lime but a member of the tupelo family. Fruit is sour and lime-like changing in color from pale green to pink and vivid red. The flowers from this tree make great honey and is attractive to bees. Trees grow up to 40 ft and are very adaptable to dry or wet conditions. Fall leaf color is usually outstanding! Hardy to zone 7.
Lemons
Meyer Lemon
Taichang lemon: The Taichang is a cross between the Ichang lemon and the Taiwanica lemon… Both parents are extremely cold tolerant and the offspring is very cold hardy as well. The golf ball sized lemons sometimes grow in clusters on a medium sized tree. The taichang lemon tree has very long dark green leaves that reminds me of a kumquat tree. Fruit is a nice blend of sweet/tart flavors and the trees bear prolific crops. Hardy to around 15 F…
Ichang Lemon: The ichang lemon is a native of the foothills of China.. Trees bear good crops of large, almost grapefruit sized lemons. Trees are thorny and grow at a moderate rate. The fruits make delicious lemon pie and the trees are very ornamental. Hardy to around 20 F.
Kumquats
Meiwa & Nagami Kumquats: Kumquats make beautiful ornamental trees as well as producing tasty fruit. Fruits are eaten whole with peel. Kumquat trees begin flowering in early summer and the fruits ripen in late fall. Once dormant, the trees withstand temps in the mid teens.
Nippon Orangequat: Nippon orangequat is a hybrid of the satsuma mandarin orange and kumquat. Trees are very cold hardy and are prolific bearers. The fruits have a sweet orange taste and ripen in late fall. Hardy to around 10 F
Thomasville Citrangequat: The Thomasville citrangequat is one of the early attempts by citrus researchers to produce a cold hardy citrus tree with good fruit. It is a cross of a Willits Citrange and a Nagami Kimquat. It is considered the best Citrangequat yet developed. By the 1st of August the fruit makes a good lime substitute and becomes edible out of hand by Christmas. Because the fruit have a thin, sweet albedo, they make an excellent marmalade. Trees can grow to 15 feet and are very cold hardy. Thomasvilles are very prolific bearers and the immature fruits make a great lime substitute. Fruit ripens in late fall and has a kumquat/orange flavor. The tree is named for Thomasville, Georgia, where it first fruited. Hardy to around 5-10 F once established.
Citrange: Citrange is a hybrid between sweet oranges and trifoliate orange. These are very cold hardy and will grow and produce fruit where other citrus trees fail. Hardy to 0 F. Varieties: Benton, Rusk and Morton
Citrandarins: a mandarinXtrifoliate hybrid.
