My “Okitsu Wase” mandarins are colouring up. I should be used to their timing by now – they coloured up in late May last year, too. They’re edible at this point, but very tangy. You need heat for sweet citrus. Last year I exercised patience and discovered that fruit left on the tree becomes much sweeter in spring. This is strange, because normally mandarins aren’t great keepers. There’s usually only a fortnight between optimum sweetness and dry, puffy fruit. “Okitsu Wase” is a great choice of mandarin for cool temperate climates. But you need to be patient with the picking.

You may notice that the leaves on your citrus are starting to turn a pale yellow. That’s normal. It’s caused by the cooling temperatures. More on that and what not to do about it here.