Harvesting Citrus Fruit
Harvesting your delicious oranges, lemons, and limes is the reason you began this citrus tree growing adventure. Now that all of your care and cultivation has paid off, it is time to harvest and store your citrus fruit so you can enjoy and share it.
When To Harvest Citrus
Citrus fruit does not further ripen and sweeten after picking, and many varieties will look bright orange or invitingly lemon yellow well before the fruit is ready to pick and eat. The best way to know if your citrus fruit is ready to pick is by tasting. The flavor and sweetness of your citrus fruit depends on the weather and conditions of the growing season, and not the time in storage after picking.
A best practice is to harvest fruit growing lower to the ground first. Frost tends to affect lower fruit more, and low fruit may also be susceptible to splashing dirt, which can soil fruit or invite pests in heavy rains.
To remove citrus from the tree, gently twist the individual fruit from the branch. Some easy-to-peel varieties like tangerines or honeybells should be clipped from their branches. Wrinkled citrus fruit skin is an indication of fruit that has been left on the tree for too long.
