I received my UC Riverside Extension E-Newsletter yesterday, and in it was the most fascinating story about how California's citrus industry was born. I thought everyone on the forum would really enjoy this amazing story. And, to toot the UC Riverside Extension's horn a wee bit, they have a fabulous course on "Citrus in the Garden" that they will be conducting Friday evening, and then wrapping up Saturday morning, which includes a tour of the Citrus Collection. It's not too late to sign up. I will be attending, really looking forward to it. You can sign up by going to this link: UC Riverside Extension Course: Citrus in the Garden Enjoy!

Riverside's Citrus Gold Rush

"When Eliza Tibbets planted two, small navel orange trees in her garden in 1873 and kept them alive with dishwater because her lot lacked irrigation, she inadvertently launched a gold rush of sorts that transformed Riverside into a citrus powerhouse and sowed the seeds for the establishment of UC Riverside.

Commercial success came quickly. The oranges were not only seedless, they were sweet and flavorful. The trees, which grew from cuttings from Brazil, were perfectly suited to Riverside's semiarid climate. And, the thick skin of the navel oranges made them ideal for shipping. By 1882, there were more than half a million citrus trees in California, almost half were in Riverside and nearly all descended from Tibbets' trees. The booming citrus industry resulted in Riverside becoming the wealthiest city per capita in the United States by 1893.

The proliferation of citrus helped convince the University of California Regents in 1907 to establish a Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside at the base of Mount Rubidoux. It was later relocated to the foot of the Box Springs Mountain where UCR stands today. Over the years, scientists at the station conducted cutting edge research on drainage techniques, fertilizers, pest and disease control and introduction of new citrus varieties.

UCR, which was established in 1954, became a key player in the success of California's citrus industry and was the first academic institution to seriously address citrus diseases. Today, most of the citrus groves have relocated to the Central Valley where land is cheaper and water more readily available. But, with the right knowledge, citrus can be an ideal choice for the home gardener.

Tom Shea, Staff Research Associate at the UC Cooperative Extension in Riverside, will conduct a class sponsored by UCR Extension titled "Citrus Trees in the Garden" on February 3 and 4. Tracy Kahn, Senior Museum Scientist, for the UCR Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, and lecturer in the UCR Department of Biology, will conduct the Saturday tour of the UCR Citrus Variety Collection, which is one of the most important and diverse collections of citrus in the world.

Shea, who specializes in subtropical horticulture, will touch on the history of citrus in the region but his primary focus will be on the different varieties of mandarins or tangerines (they are interchangeable), sweet oranges, blood oranges, sour oranges used for marmalade and the flavoring in Earl Grey tea, lemons, limes, grapefruits and some lesser-known citrus fruits. Shea will also talk about new varieties of citrus that are well suited for homeowners because the fruit is very tasty but they have qualities that make them commercially undesirable. "Perhaps the fruit is too small or too labor intensive for commercial growers," Shea said. "But, for the homeowner, it's not a big deal.""