🍊 Satsuma Mandarin
Citrus unshiu
The most cold-hardy citrus worth eating — Florida's Panhandle citrus loophole.
Sun
Full sun, 8+ hrs for sweetest fruit
Days to harvest
2–4 years to first crop
Spacing
12–15 feet apart
Soil pH
6.0–7.0
How to grow
Plant in spring after frost danger in the sunniest, most cold-protected spot you've got — near a south-facing wall is classic. Satsumas shrug off light freezes that kill other citrus, which is why they're the go-to for north Florida. Feed lightly; citrus are hungry but salt-sensitive, so go easy on synthetic fertilizer.
Water & feeding
Regular deep watering, especially while fruit is sizing up; don't let young trees dry out in their first two summers.
Common problems
- Citrus greening (HLB) — incurable bacterial disease; buy certified disease-free stock
- Leaf miners on new flush (mostly cosmetic)
- Hard freezes can still damage trees despite the cold-hardy reputation
Harvest
Pick October–December when fully orange and easy to peel — satsumas don't ripen off the tree, so taste-test before picking the whole crop. The loose, puffy skin is the ripeness tell.
Nerdy fact: Satsuma segments separate so cleanly because the membranes are unusually thin — centuries of Japanese selection for fruit you can peel with gloves on.