Well, I'm a little warmer than you, Tim, but I can tell you that the folks at UCR Citrus Variety Collection were amazed at their 'Gold Nugget' mandarins during some record low temps there. They told us during the tour that the 'Gold Nugget' mandarin trees actually fared better than their Frost Owari Satsumas did. So, I think you picked the right mandarin for sure. They are really supposed to be superb, and they lived up to that when we taste-tested them during the tour. Rich, complex, perfect balance of acid to sugar. Great cultivar, and it also warranted a spot in my garden :-)

Patty S.

Frost isn't really an issue here (fortunately!), Patty. I've lived in SF now for nearly 20 years and we haven't gotten down to freezing temps except maybe 2-3 times during that period(?). I recall once in the early '90s we had a hint of snow in the air, but it quickly disappeared by the time it hit the ground.

The micro-climates in the region are REALLY intersting. Down the Peninsula or across the GG Bridge in Marin, which may be as close as 5-10 miles away, they may experience frost (sometimes occasionally during the winter!), and SF will always be warmer than these adjacent counties due to the tempering influence of water along its 3 sides. When others are freezing, we usually get no colder than the low 40s, maybe 38F or so at the worst... But the ocean's moderating effect also holds true in the summer - when others are sunny and warm/hot, we are foggy and COLD, and herein is my problem for trying to grow certain kinds of citrus.

Oh well, "no pain, no gain", I guess. The only way to truly know whether orange/mandarin varietals will grow in my area is to give it a try, right? I just wished it didn't take the better part of 3 years to derive an answer! I'll keep my fingers crossed that my 'Gold Nugget' will make it through to fruit, as I'm quite keen to taste a mandarin that has such a high reported brix content (up to 17.5%)!

The microclimates all along the California coast are really unique. Exactly the same, here. We live in a very unusual area. Altman Nursery, one of the largest commercial nurseries in California has a large growing grounds very close to me, about maybe a 1/8 mile away. They told me they love this particular growing grounds because we have some unusual thermals that keep us very moderated. We rarely freeze here, too, and our temps rarely hit 90, even on the hottest of summer days, as we are at the top of a valley to the ocean (I have a lovely ocean view from my front yard.) If I drive "down the hill", it can be up to 8 degrees warmer (and colder). And, we are JUST enough inland (about 6 miles) to miss most of the marine layer. I can see it lying in the lower areas, and unless it's really heavy, we are just clear of it.

Your 'Gold Nugget' looks good, and it's flushing so that's a good sign. Will be interested to see how it does for you. And remember, brix isn't everything with citrus. It's that magical acid to sugar ratio! 'Gold Nugget' has that.

Patty S.

Hi Tim,
I already have some mandarin trees, and I would like to get some tree without seeds.
Where do you by your gold nugget tree?

Thanks in advance.

Manuel, you're probably better off starting a brand new message thread with your request. You can check off to be notified of responses, and then that thread is all yours, and not part of Tim's. To answer your question, the best mandarin out there also happens to be very seedless. That would be the Seedless Kishu mandarin. They are small, but they are the best tasting mandarin going. Love them.

Patty S.

Hi Tim,

I would love to hear your experince growing citrus in SF since this post was 11 years ago. i am a newbie and trying to pick the right citrus for my backyard