Homestead Plant of The Week | 002 | Arctic Frost Satsuma

You Can Grow Citrus in Texas!

For years, I’ve dreamed about growing citrus on my East Texas homestead. It’s true that you can do fancy things with micro climates and what not. If fact, there’s no doubt that with the permaculture toolkit that I’ve acquired, I could probably grow an orange or two. But how much effort would it take?  I had almost given up on the idea until I heard about the Arctic Frost Satsuma.

This small yet hardy tree produces easy to peel, juicy fruit that are loved by kids and adults alike. The Artic Frost Sasuma is smaller than an orange, but offers a similar experience. The Chinese name for the fruit is “Honey Citrus”. According to Wikipedia, “In 1876 during the Meiji period, satsumas were brought to the United States from the Satsuma Province in Kyūshū, Japan, by a spouse of a member of the U.S. Embassy.” The Artic Frost Satsuma has been adapted from that original variety to grow well from zone 7 to zone 10 and are hardy down to 10º F.

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Each week, Jack Spirko features Bob Wells plant of the week on The Survival Podcast. I’ve really enjoyed learning about these plants and am refeaturing many of them here. Bob Wells Nursery is located in Lindale, Texas so you can bet his recommendations will do well on an East Texas homestead.
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Bob Wells Plant of the Week – Arctic Frost Satsuma

It is adaptable from zone 7 to zone 10. It is cold hardy down to (10 F.) degrees. This small, spreading tree has white flowers with a sweet orange fragrance.

In winter it produces juicy, nearly seedless and easy peeling fruit. It grows from 8 to 12 feet tall in the ground and 6 feet tall in a container.

If you have been wanting to plant citrus in zone 7 & 8 then this is the cold hardy variety for you. If you live above zone 7 you can grow it in a container.

Find this plant and more at BobWellsNursery.com – Bob Wells Nursery specializes in anything edible: Fruit trees, Berry Plants, Nut Trees, as well as the hard to find Specialty Trees.

 

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this new series on the Homestead Plant of The Week. If so, let me know in the comments section below. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to subscribe to be updated when new articles go out.

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