Citrus in Virginia? You bet!

This winter, I was lamenting my lack of greenhouse, because I really wanted to be able to grow some citrus trees. My sister in California was eating oranges straight from the branch, and they sounded so juicy and luscious I was starting to feel deprived. (It was winter, after all. The freshest food we had…

Caring for Potted Citrus Trees

For those of you who thought growing citrus trees was impossible in any place with cold winters, you’re in for a pleasant surprise! It’s quite easy to grow dwarf citrus trees in pots and move them inside to a sunny window for the winter. Homegrown lemons, limes, oranges, and even grapefruits will do a lot to liven…

November Is Lemonade Season

How long does it take a lemon to ripen? Any guesses? We bought our citrus trees a year and a half ago from One Green World. Last year, after the petals of each purplish-white flower fell off, there was a tiny, dark-green fruit. But within a few weeks, these turned yellowish brown and fell off. None of the…

How Long Does a Lemon Take to Ripen?

  There have been a lot of searches for citrus information lately on the blog, so I thought I’d give you an update on the dwarf lemon, lime, and orange trees I planted in pots last spring. They’ve been doing a lot of growing! The Washington navel orange and Meyer lemon arrived from One Green World basically…

Christmas Oranges

Our first Washington navel oranges have ripened just in time to make super-fresh stocking stuffers! Accompanying them will be jars of homemade caramels and orange hard candies. I’ll post the recipes for the candies soon, but if you need them now for a last-minute treat of your own, you can find them at Willow Creek Farm’s…