What would be the best combination of citrus trees to have at least one tree producing throughout the year? The 2 varieties I definitely want are a tangerine (dancy or sunburst) and an orange type that is easy to peel. All others just need to be good tasting. I like most citrus sold at stores, so pickiness isn't a problem. I just would like the idea of always being able to go pick a citrus from my yard. Thanks,
Keith

Well, I did some research, here's a list I made, tell me what you think:

Flame Grapefruit (nov-may)
Dream Navel orange (easy to peel) (oct-jan)
variegated Valencia orange (variegated because it looks nice) (mar-jun)
Dancy tangerine (dec-jan)
Lemon (Jul-Dec)
Also, a variegated Kumquat and a Key lime, as they're year round fruiters.

Are there any varieties of sweet lemon that fruit during the late summer (July onwards) like the normal lemon? I've read about the Ujukitsu and Sanbokan lemons, but I couldn't find anything about when they produce, just that they are sweet lemons. Anyone else want to share their list for year round citrus?
Keith

I am a big mandarin fan and I have three varieties which cover a lot of the year. I get mandarins fairly consistently from early winter to early-mid summer.

1. Early mandarin: Kishu (early winter), you could also use satsumas
2. Mid/late season mandarin: tango (winter-spring), seedless W. Murcott
3. Late season mandarin: gold nugget (late spring, summer), holds very well on the tree

You could also add a clementine to fill in the time between the early and mid/late season varieties.

Hope this helps.

-Brett

Thanks, I'll have to write that down. I like mandarins too. So those 3 plus clementine will be good for year round fruit, eh? That's pretty neat.
Keith

I agree with the Satsumas. Some of the early varieties will begin ripening in late Sept - early Oct.

By plamting the right varieties fruit can be harvesting fruit from mid September until the end of the year. Miyagawa is one of my favorites as it ripens early and hangs on the tree for a long time without getting puffy. ObaWase is a little later ripening and then the Owari ripens later.
Louisiana varieties, Armstrong Early, Early St. Anne, and Llouisiana Early are also early ripening varieties. Brown Select is a late ripening satsuma that is very good. There are many varieties of satsumas and I have never seen a bad one.

I grew up on Clementines which to me have the classic sweet/tart mandarin flavors. The general flavor of the ones I mentioned, particularly Kishu and tango, have a very similar profile. Satsumas are somewhat different, and not my personal favorite, but I know lots of people who love them. It's important to decide your own favorites before choosing the right variety.

-Brett

Zeeth, your question would be easier to answer if our members knew your location. Please go to your profile, and add your location. This helps our member to better give advice. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. - Millet (1,267-)

Sorry, I changed it now. It's Bradenton, Fl by the way...

Suggestions For Citrus Year around - Time of Year And Variety:

Dec - Feb. Washington Navel & Most Satsuma Mandarins

Jan - Feb. Most any citrus

Feb - spring. Minneola Tangelo
Trovita Oranges

Late spring - early fall. Lane Late Navel Orange

June - Nov. Valencia

Late summer - early winter. Bearss limes
Year-round Lemons

I think Brettay's and Millet's dates are probably perfectly true for California or Arizona, but because of differences in weather, Florida maturity dates will be quite different.

In central Florida, don't plan to have much of anything except perhaps lemons and limes in July, August, or early September. Fruit of other types will have fallen from the tree (or still be immature) then.

Then mandarins:

Satsumas -- late September through October
Sunburst -- late October and early November
Robinson -- November
Dancy -- late December and January
Ponkan -- about a week earlier than Dancy
Murcott -- January through perhaps March

Tangeloes:

Lee -- Late October through November
Orlando -- mid-November through early December
Minneola -- almost exclusively January. If you're very lucky indeed, maybe the last week in December or the first week of February.

Oranges:

Hamlin -- November through January
Parson Brown -- late November through January
All navels except 'Dream' -- December and January
Dream -- January and February
Pineapple, Queen, Midsweet -- January-early March
Valencia, Lue Gim Gong, and Pope Summer -- mid-March through June or perhaps earliest July.

Grapefruit:

Triumph, Isle of Pines, Royal (all thought to be grapefruit by orange hybrids, actually) -- October through at least January
All pigmented grapefruit except Burgundy -- perhaps legal earlier, but "good" to eat from about the middle of November onward, through perhaps May
Duncan -- January onward (they start sprouting seeds inside the fruit and developing an "off" flavor in about May)
Marsh -- March Onward to at least May or June
Burgundy -- about the first of April through June.

Pummelo: Most varieties are pretty good in mid-November, and last until perhaps early January

Limes -- can be nearly year-round, but more than half the annual crop will be ready in June.

Dr. Manners, I find the difference in Valencia to be amazing.

Valencia in California = June to November
Valencia in Florida = March to June

What is the reason for such a difference? Temperature?

Millet (1,267-)

yes, Millet, heat units. Grapefruit do the same -- the same variety takes multiple months longer in Ca or Az. Our 'Valencia' normally reach legal maturity around the first of March, occasionally a bit earlier. But since nearly that whole crop goes for juice, the processors often leave them on the tree a while longer, to become sweeter. Especially if they are still processing some midseason fruit. By the middle of June, things are really slowing down, and by the end of June, most juice plants have closed for the season. A few Valencias for fresh use may be harvested up to the first of July, but that's a tiny percentage of the crop.

Thank you, very informative. Appreciate it. - Millet (1,266-)

So how would Texas citrus ripen? Similar to Florida or California?