The word “citrus” starts many people dreaming of a cold glass of orange juice. Or, perhaps lemonade on a hot summer’s day. Maybe you think of grapefruit hanging from trees while driving through Florida. Tangerines dotting a grove in California. No matter where you live, you have either seen citrus growing, know where citrus grows or have eaten a fair share of this versatile fruit.

Have you ever-wondered how citrus fruit got to be in this country and when did it become popular to grow your own? Well, sit right down and let me tell you a story.

Blame it on the Chinese

It all started many, many years ago, the earliest references of citrus being found in ancient Chinese manuscripts and documents, with one appearing in a written record from about 2200 B.C. Then around 310 B.C. citrus really began to get traction in Europe, with the introduction of the pummelo, lemon and sour orange, just to name a few.

The New World Discovers Citrus

Christopher Columbus is believed to have introduced citrus on the island of Haiti in 1493. He brought citrus seeds of sour orange, sweet orange, citron, lemon, and pummelo fruits. Records show that all of these trees were growing well in the American colonies in about 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida, and in coastal South Carolina, mainly Beaufort and Charleston.

Citrus in Continental North America

In his book, Travels, William Bartram stated that in 1773 Henry Laurens from Charleston, South Carolina, who served as a President of the Continental Congress, introduced “ limes” as well as many other different non-citrus fruits into the United States colonies after the year 1755. Then, as late as 1790 in Savannah, Georgia, “oranges were cultivated in some quantity along the coast, and in that year some 3000 gallons of orange juice were exported”. Again, according to Mr. Bartram in that same book.

The citrus industry really took off in and around 1821. Travelers to Florida grafted the wild orange tree groves with better tasting cultivars after they realized how wonderful orange juice tasted. That is when shipments of oranges, grapefruit, limes, and lemons began to find their way to Philadelphia and New Yoirk.

Citrus Follows the Gold Rush to California

Spanish missionaries were the first ones to do citrus plantings in California. However, the commercial industry didn’t really begin to grow until the 1849 Gold Rush boom. Those efforts to supply the miners from San Francisco with citrus fruit were extremely successful. However, because of the devastating freezes in 1894 and 1899, Satsuma trees were virtually wiped out in the Gulf States. The hard freeze of 1916 wiped out thousands of acres of Satsuma orange trees in Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana. This too, helped the California industry thrive as growers moved their planting westward.

Gardeners Take to Growing Their Own Citrus

There is not a lot of information on when people started growing citrus trees themselves in private gardens or landscapes. Like all other produce, it is better when you grow it and pick it yourself. People have been gardening for themselves for centuries, so why not citrus? Many seasonal and year-round residents figure life in Florida should include a citrus tree in the yard. To some, it’s part of Florida’s heritage and culture. They want citrus trees in the home landscape to enjoy their dark, evergreen foliage, fragrant blossoms and colorful, delicious fruit.

Citrus Greening Travels North

Outside of the citrus belt, there are many, many stories of people growing their own grapefruit and limes, in containers. This author has even written a book on that very subject. There are folks in Canada growing Meyer Lemons, people in Virginia growing all kinds of tangerines; there are even a few people in Michigan giving it a go and having some success. Charleston, SC has endured a few extremely cold winters; there are records of it dropping down to 1 degree Fahrenheit. Yet, back in 2009 when citrus greening reared its ugly head and USDA started inspecting trees for the disease by literally going door to door, they found 3,033 citrus trees in Charleston County alone! Growing both in ground and in containers.

State of Florida Rankles Amatuers Growers Over Citrus Canker Disease

The Florida amateur growers have had some issues to contend with recently. Back in 2000, Florida state agriculture inspectors sent crews out with chainsaws to cut down hundreds, if not thousands, of orange, tangerine, grapefruit and key lime trees on private property— even if they didn’t show any signs of Citrus Canker. State officials continue to say that the private property takings served a greater public interest. They also say that those who lost their citrus trees were already compensated under statewide settlements. The court is still arguing that debate. Richard Gaskalla, former director of the state Division of Plant Industry, has said that Florida license plates featured the orange. “It’s the iconic crop,” he said. “It’s an important part of our life-support system.” He was talking about both the dooryard citrus as well as the state’s leading economic industry.

Water Shortage Complicates Growing Citrus in California

Amateur citrus growers in California have been tasked with a heavy load as well. There are millions of homeowners throughout that state who enjoy having citrus trees in their backyards; unfortunately circumstances have arisen in which a homeowner cannot properly care for their trees. The high cost of water and prolonged drought conditions have caused many homeowners to stop irrigating their trees. The problem is the dead and dying citrus trees can still be a host for the citrus psyllid or even worse, Citrus Greening. This causes a concern for the citrus growers because these “abandoned” trees are inoculants for both the insect and disease, which will affect their lively hood. So they have asked the homeowners to either care for the trees or have them removed.

Growing Your Own Citrus Is Worth It Because It Tastes So Good

Even with all of these problems, there are many reasons for growing your own citrus. Other than the terrific feeling of picking your own, and the taste of fruit that is never any fresher than the one you picked 5 minutes ago, there is the diversity of cultivars. There are things that you will probably never see in the grocery store, and for some good reasons. Homeowners, who are not as dependent on how much fruit is produced, are more forgiving of seeds and thorns. With this article there are pictures of a Variegated Valencia orange (see cover photo above) and a Variegated Calamondin (photo below), which is a Kumquat hybrid.

If you can get hooked up with a collector of citrus, you will also hear about varieties that are an outstanding piece of fruit flavor wise, but might be too seedy for the commercial industry. Then, there is the fruit that is so odd, weird looking, or does not have very many uses, that commercially it is almost a complete waste of prime growing space; Citrus medica ‘Buddha’s Hand’ comes to mind, which is also pictured with this article (photo below). There are a few things that the hand can be used for, such as candying the peel, making adult beverages, or freaking out your neighbors.

Variegated Calamondin is a hybrid of a kumquat, and tastes the same as its plain old sister. The leaves are variegated. The fruit is variegated until it is ripe, then it will be the normal orange you are accustomed to.

This very odd looking citrus, Buddha’s Hand, has little to no juice or pulp. It is grown more for its odd shape, though the peel can be candied and used to make citrus flavored products.

Comparatively speaking, growing your own citrus is a lot easier than many other forms of tree fruit. You have to spray apples with a fungicide, seemingly endlessly. Not to mention that you have to have two different varieties to pollinate each other. Peaches are tough because of the fungicides. There are so many different varieties, all with different chill hours required. Pears and plums also need two different ones to pollinate. Citrus only require one plant to produce fruit. You can grow them on a dwarf rootstock so it works in containers, which means you can bring it in for the winter. Finally, you do not need to prune citrus in a bunch of different shapes to produce better fruit. It is a beautiful plant. Left to it’s own accord, will produce an abundance of sweetness that is the envy of every breakfast table.

I imagine that dooryard or amateur citrus growing will be around for a very long time, even with all of the quarantines and such. Sales of these dooryard trees are a profitable market channel for many citrus nurseries. Fruit clubs, societies and rare fruit groups are very passionate about their dooryard citrus trees and maintain extensive private collections, these people represent a loyal customer base for the nurseries.