My next dilemma is whether I should plant dwarf or regular variety, next is what size containers would be best so we are not waiting for ever to harvest fruit.

I am looking for unique varieties of citrus so if you have one that you love and grow in southern california (I am in pasadena), I would like to know their names. Ones I am considering are Yuzu, Rangpur limes, bergamot orange, Meiwa kumquats, Limonero fino lemon, meyer lemon, mexican lime, algerian mandarin, honey mandarin, moro blood orange.

Finally, any ideas on the sweetest, juiciest peach variety, pomegranite and favorite variety of fig. Thanks.

jc

Meantime no one wants the weird citrus and they fall to the ground and rot. Waste of space and precious water. Just a thought.

West Coast chefs are proclaiming it's fresh and exciting new flavor. Bergamot is turning up flavoring roast chicken, salmon marinade, vinaigrettes, and glazing bundt cakes. Some aficionados proclaim it "indescribably delicious." Its citrus-based flavor has been described as perfumey, fragrantly bitter, somewhat earthy and most decidedly unique.

Most importantly, bergamot seems to transform dishes from ordinary to extraordinary. Fans of bergamot claim that once you try it, you're hooked.

California growers are planting bergamot trees in their orchards, wholesalers are stocking and selling more bergamot than ever before as it pops up on more and more menus of upscale restaurants.

All this is well and good if you're eating out at pricey restaurants, but where can you find bergamot if you are cooking at home? The truth is, it is very hard to find. If you live in a bigger city and you're lucky, you might be able to spot it a few weeks out of the year at a local market or a gourmet grocery store. If you live in the perfect climate for it (Mediterranean, as in southern Italy), you can try growing it yourself as many do. Otherwise, where can you find that "make-your-taste-buds-sit-up-and-listen kind of flavor?"

I'm not a fan of the blood oranges- the ones in my friend's yard are a bit sour for my taste.

Please consider Oro Blanco grapefruit. It's a cross between a pommelo and a grapefruit, and it is as sweet as an orange with grapefruit flavor. Everyone loves it, and it makes the most delicious juice I have ever tasted. I keep it very small and it is a heavy producer.

Renee

First on my list would be Gold Nugget tangerine, Valencia orange and Meyer lemon.

Gold Nugget is seedless, very sweet and hangs well on the tree. I just ate one last week which was still remaining from last year's crop. We eat tangerines in our salads and one tree is not enough.

Lemons in our tea everyday and one tree is not enough.

Orange juice for breakfast everyday and one tree is not enough.

I have better luck with 15 gal trees. With the deeper/larger rootball they take hold better. The one to two years of labor and water isn't worth the initial cost savings of a five gallon tree. Shop around. I paid $56 for 15 gal citrus at a local nursery when most are asking $80 for 15 gallon and $24 for 5 gallon. 15 gallon trees are more difficult to plant due to the weight.

Make sure the 15 gallon tree isn't a five gallon tree in a fifteen gallon pot. I planned on buying a half dozen 15 gal trees but came home with two fifteen gallon and four five gallon trees. Some of the fifteen gallon trees looked like they were five gallon trees that were just potted up.

Zeuspaul