[basjoos]

I'm not growing northern citrus here, but have been experimenting with growing citrus north of the usual citrus range outdoors under winter protection here. I'm growing a number of outdoor citrus here. In the unprotected category are the 20ft high citranges and citrumelos that I have been growing for years. They'll defoliate on bad winters, but otherwise do fine and fruit every year. Recently I've started growing several cultivars of satsumas and the Hamlin orange under winter protection. Both of these mature their fruit in Sept through Nov, so I'm not having to overwinter frost-sensitive immature fruit. I'm overwintering them in cold frames on the raised beds in my vegetable garden where they are planted in the beds. The cold frames have insulation and heat storage on their north sides and provide about 20 degrees F of protection and is a design I've been using for years to grow tomatoes and potatoes through the winter. I'm espaliering the trees to keep their height within the maximum height (6 feet)of the cold frame. I got a few satsuma fruit off them this fall and hope to see more in years to come. One of the satsumas, Miyagawa, is naturally dwarf with a mature height of 8feet.