24 Apr Citrus Varieties for Central Texas

            Nobody ever said gardening in Central Texas was going to be easy. But when I arrived 25 years ago in San Marcos, Texas, all I wanted to do was to grow some citrus. I was really excited about all the possibilities that could be grown in Texas. But surprisingly, back then citrus was not as popular, or was considered hard to grow. Well time, new research and weather have changed all of that. So I would encourage you to try one somewhere in your sunniest spot in the garden.

            After many trials, errors, heat waves and freezes, I came up with a list of great citrus selections for the home garden. Please check them out and ask for more information at your independent and locally owned garden centers.

Calamondin– The calmondins are small, sour fruits. They are great for cooking, fresh eating or making marmalades. Most are hardy into the teens, after they have matured for a few years.

Grapefruits – A classic favorite at any meal in my book. Also more cold hardy than you ever thought.

 ​          Bloomsweet hybrid grapefruits– These grapefruits are a Japanese variety. They are also known as Kinkoji, and are          reported to be cold-hardy down to the mid-teens after many years of growing.

          Rio Red grapefruit– These grapefruit are the wonderful grapefruit you see in grocery stores and farmers markets. These will need to be protected from the cold and grown in containers.

Kumquat – The kumquats are a group of citrus that are similar to an orange. They are much smaller than an orange, and more oval. The rind and flesh are edible and tasty to eat all at once. Just pop them into your mouth and enjoy!  Nagami kumquats are oval and considered sour. The Meiwa kumquat are more round with sweeter flesh. Meiwa is a heavy producer and makes an attractive container plant.

Lemons – The Improved Meyer Lemon is a tasty treat. It is a heavy bearer of bright yellow, thin skinned very juicy fruits. They are cold hardier than most lemons, going down into the mid-twenties. It makes great lemonade.

Limes – All limes in Central Texas should be grown in containers, since they will not take any frost. They can be used in beverages and cooking.

         The Persian lime has dark foliage and medium to large fruits that are green. They are comparable in size to most lemons. Nice and large. They have a very green rind, seedless to nearly seedless, with lots of juice.

        The Mexican lime tree is a heavy bearer that has smaller, seedy fruits. It is very flavorful, and is great to use in cooking and many beverages. This fruit is a bartender’s friend.

Satsuma – The Satsuma is a seedless to nearly seedless citrus. They are easy to peel and also known as Satsuma mandarins or Japanese oranges. The name comes from the former Satsuma Province in Japan, from which these fruits were first exported to the West. There are many named varieties, but I have found Arctic Frost, Brown Select, Miho, Owari, and Seto to be the best for Central Texas for their cold hardiness and great taste. Miho won the 2010 Texas Superstar award from Texas A&M for outstanding qualities grown in a container or in ground.

Oranges – There are many named varieties of sweet oranges that can be grown in containers. They need to be protected from the frost in most winters in Central Texas.  Some favorites are Moro Blood Orange, Navel, Pineapple, and Valencia. There is also one named Republic of Texas that makes the best glass of orange juice. It is an old variety that dates back to the 1800’s and is cold hardy to the mid-twenties.

So get to growing some of these wonderful citrus. And as always…stay organic my friends!

Robb Enloe

Robb is a member of  the knowledgeable nursery  team at The Natural Gardener. He is a longtime gardener who is always experimenting with new varieties and growing techniques.