Have you ever thought about picking oranges from your own

orange tree? Or having the fragrance of a lemon grove wafting in

through your bedroom window?

Although we’re a little far north for commercial citrus, I’ve found

that here in central Texas we can have lots of fun growing our own

lemons, limes, grapefruits and oranges from seed. The trick is to

sow the seed while it’s moist and fresh.

First of all take a trip to your local grocery store and buy some of

your favorite fruit. Store the seeds in the fridge and be sure to keep

them moist. I put seeds in a coffee cup with a damp paper towel in

it, adding to it over time.

 

When you have enough, place them in seedling cell trays filled

with peat moss and perlite or vermiculite.

Cover them lightly, and water them in with a fan sprayer, and put

them in a sunny, warm location.

The first seedlings will germinate in about 20 days and will continue

to do so for a month or two. When they reach a height of 4” or 5”

I transplant them into 4” pots filled with a high quality potting soil

such as Metro or Scott’s.  

Citrus grown from seed can take up to five years to flower… so you

have to be patient!

If you want fruit faster, then buy a grafted citrus – which will  bloom

in its first year. Some of the most popular ones are calamondin and

meyers lemon.

Calamondin is a cross between a tangerine and a kumquat. These

slightly sour fruits are used to make a lemonade-like drink that’s

popular in the Philippines. Meyer’s lemon – large and sweet - is a

cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.

It’s best to grow your citrus in a container because our winters are

a little too cold. Citrus trees become unhappy when the temper-

ature drops below the mid-20s.

 If you want to plant them in the ground, look for a protected micro-

climate on the south-side of your house, preferably close to a rock

wall. Northern exposure is pretty rough on them.

Some gardeners protect their citrus by covering them during the

coldest nights. A customer in Shady Hollow has built a two-wheel

cart, and whenever the temperature drops down into the twenties

and he simply rolls his orange trees into the garage for protection.
Happy Gardening Everyone…  and Happy Father’s Day too!