BACKYARD CITRUS ORCHARD

by MARC HESS, EDITOR OF “GARDENING SOUTH TEXAS”

Dr. Calvin Finch, South

speaker and retired Director of Water Conservation and Technology at the Texas A&M University System

Ditrus trees are an elegant form of edible landscaping. As evergreens, you will find that citrus make attractive plants throughout the year providing rich green foliage along with a sweet scent. Come winter they will fill your landscape with brightly colored fruit that could last until early spring. Your citrus fruit is usually ready to harvest between October and May, which is during cooler months when many other types of fruits don’t naturally grow. Most citrus is picked off the tree when it is ripe and ready to eat.

The popularity of growing citrus in landscapes and on patios has increased throughout south and central Texas. Many homeowners are creating urban backyard orchards and harvesting fruit from container-planted trees on their patios