4 Must-Know Tips for Picking Citrus Fruits at Peak Flavor, According to an Expert

Most citrus trees start fruiting two to three years after planting. When that anticipated time arrives, harvesting oranges, lemons, Meyer lemons, limes, grapefruit, or satsumas from your backyard trees feels like finding a treasure. The next step, however—knowing when and how to harvest your citrus crop—can be a bit tricky, and doing it right makes a difference in the quality of your fruit and the health of your tree. Here's some expert harvesting advice to help.

When to Harvest Citrus

Citrus fruit is picked at different times and stages. Satsumas and kumquats can be picked in the green-yellow stage as early as October, while oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes should not be picked until they reach full color, starting in late November and early December. Fruit left on the tree will turn from green to yellow to orange, develop a loose skin, and develop a sweeter taste.

Citrus Harvesting Tips

Use these tips when picking citrus so that you get the best-tasting fruit while keeping your trees healthy and productive.

1. Let Fruit Ripen on the Tree

Fruit is sweetest when it’s allowed to ripen on the tree, says Dr. Michael Polozola, the fruit and nut specialist at Louisiana State University. Citrus fruits do not continue to ripen once picked. For the highest quality fruit, Polozola recommends waiting for a light frost—34°F, or just touching 32°F for a brief period of time—before you pick the fruit. “Citrus gets sweeter when it has been exposed to a cold spell,” Polozola explains.

2. Do a Taste Test Before Picking

Don’t just go by the color of the fruit to decide when to harvest. Let the taste, not the skin color, be your guide, Polozola says. Before you pick your citrus fruit, sample one. If the flavor is to your liking, it’s time to pick.

If you like sour flavors, harvest your citrus a little early. If you prefer sweet fruits, leave that citrus on the tree longer. “If you are going to go through the trouble to grow citrus, you might as well enjoy it,” Polozola says. “Pick it when it tastes the way you want it to taste.”

Harvest your citrus each week as you are ready to eat it.

3. Use Clippers to Remove Fruit

Use a pair of hand pruners to clip off the stem close to the fruit. Don’t twist fruit off the tree with your bare hands, or else you risk damaging the tree bark and removing fruiting twigs, which will reduce your future harvest.

Not using the proper tools to harvest may also damage the fruit itself. “Satsumas won’t come cleanly off a tree unless you use a pair of clippers,” Polozola says. “Pick them by hand and you’ll tear the skin of the fruit.” When the protective skin of any citrus fruit is damaged, it is susceptible to rot or drying out.

To help the fruit last longer, leave a small part of the stem attached to the fruit.

4. Pick All Fruit by the End of The Season

Remove all citrus fruit from the tree by the end of January or early February. If you leave fruit on the tree for too long, the tree will produce fewer blooms and less fruit next year. “The tree will put its energy into supporting that old fruit instead of making next year’s growth,” Polozola says.

How to Store Citrus Fruit

Unlike other fruits, citrus keeps well on the tree. It can remain fresh on the tree for several months. “One of the lovely things about citrus is they hold on the tree for a very long time,” Polozola says. “A lot of people will leave this fruit on the tree until the threat of a really hard freeze happens.”

However, once you pick citrus, promptly store it in a refrigerator or in a cool, dark room.