I have some small Satsuma orange (tangerine?) plants and lemon also. The lemon is not yet ripe, but the orange seems to be. Someone told me to wait until first frost, but that could be a while, I'm afraid they'll go bad by then. Any idea how to decide when to picK?????????
When To Pick Oranges?
Hi.. we are North of you, but my DH has been picking ours for a couple weeks now, and says they are ready. We have heard that also, but just can't wait usually till the first frost. It's supposed to make them sweeter! We leave them on the tree sometimes way up until December with no problems.
These links have some information about harvesting Satsumas. There is a slight harvest time depending on the cultivar. The best way to tell if the fruit is ready to harvest is to taste it at 1 week intervals. Your palate will tell you when. Over time you'll zero in on when to harvest the trees in your yard.
http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/patiocitrus/harvestingtext.html
http://www.lalagniappe.com/mall/satsumas.htm
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/fruit/satsuma.html
http://www.urbanharvest.org/advice/fruitgardening/fruitvarieties/orangebloodorange.html