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7 Best Citrus Trees to Grow

When life gives you lemons, do what one Orange County couple does: Make Meyer lemonade for the neighbors.

Sunset

Growing citrus doesn’t take a ton of specialized experience (and you don’t even have to live in Orange County to attempt it), but a little flexibility and the ability to roll with the punches will go a long way. Here’s how one couple approached it.

1 /9 Photo by Andrea Gómez Romero; written by Sharon Cohoon

Meet the gardeners

When Diane Cu and Todd Porter bought their home in Costa Mesa, California, they immediately set out to do a serious makeover on the 1/4-acre backyard. Growing citrus trees was always in the cards for the avid cooks. “Citrus is important in every cuisine. That bite of acidity brightens food,” Diane explains. But different cuisines use different types. “We wanted access to things like makrut for Thai dishes and yuzu for Japanese ones.” They started planting within days of moving in, eight years ago. Today, recipes and gardening tips go on their popular White on Rice Couple blog (whiteonricecouple.com), which they started in 2008. The two are certainly at zero risk for scurvy, with 21 vitamin C–bearing trees producing, Todd estimates, 600 pounds of citrus per year. But 600 pounds is a lot for two. So they started an informal citrus club—a way to connect with friends, using their copious yield. “We invite a bunch of people, hand them all brown paper bags, and send them to ‘the farmyard’ to fill up,” Diane says. That’s where 15 types of citrus trees grow, from Eureka lemons to ‘Buddha’s Hand’. Next is a sit-down meal inspired by the citrus in season. Friends leave with recipes and, as long as they’re locals, a bag of fruit. “Citrus is a crop that carries a certain aura of glamour,” Diane says. “And it cheers everyone up, especially in winter.”
2 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

Their citrus-growing secrets

Todd and Diane share: 1. Soil matters. With nasty clay soil in our yard, we planted a lot of our citrus in raised beds and in pots. Our garden soil is a compost mix from Larry’s Building Materials in Costa Mesa. To improve drainage, we add cactus mix. 2. Plants can get bored with the same food. We use various fertilizers, depending on when we’re buying. Often it’s Dr. Earth Fruit Tree Fertilizer but also bat guano, liquid fish fertilizer, and other stuff. 3. Leaf trimmings from a hedge have a second life. They serve as mulch for shallow-rooted citrus, which needs to be protected. 4. The assassin bugs are plant-protecting ninja. They hang out in our Algerian tangerine. When aphid infestations occur, the assassin bugs wipe them out. 5. Assemble a mostly organic arsenal. For sooty fungus, we use neem oil. And if leaf miners are really hammering new growth, a little Monterey Garden Insect Spray. 6. Exotic fruit calls for ancient wisdom. We turned to an old Japanese gardener when our yuzus didn’t flower. He told us to stress the plant by tying garden string around several of the branches to choke them. A tree often flowers as a preservation mechanism. Breaking off the ends of the branches by hand—instead of pruning them—has the same effect. 7. It cheers up the neighbors. In the winter especially, citrus works its magic. 8. Sharing is easy. A little juice goes a long way in cooking. And so do the 600 pounds grown in our yard every year.
3 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

The best squeezes

Want to know the best types of juicy citrus to grow (like this gorgeous Buddha's hand)? Diane and Todd conduct cooking classes, lead food tours, and recently took photographs for Cristina’s Big Bowl of Love, TV personality Cristina Ferrare’s  cookbook. What follow are the varieties of citrus they can’t live without.
4 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

Blood orange

Tasty to eat and gorgeous, with ruby red flesh and juice; flavor has raspberry overtones.
5 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

'Fremont' tangerine

Great to eat or drink as juice, and the fruit lasts eight to nine months on the tree.

6 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

Japanese yuzu

The fragrance of the zest is amazing. Growing this citrus is difficult—it doesn’t flower or fruit reliably—but if you can pull it off  you'll have homemade ponzu at the ready for all manner of noodle dishes.
7 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

'Improved Meyer' lemon

The ultimate all-purpose citrus. Good for cooking, desserts, and cocktails. Ripe fruit lasts eight months or more on the tree.
8 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

'Mexican' lime

Versatile in cocktails, in sauces, and for baking.
9 /9 Photo by Todd Porter and Diane Cu; written by Sharon Cohoon

'Oroblanco' grapefruit

Bright, floral fragrance; sweet and not too acidic. The tree needs heat for best flavor; best in the desert.

Looking for ideas for how to use all the citrus from your garden? We have dozens of recipes.