Calamansi · Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
When to plant calamansi in Harbin
Main outdoor window
12 May - 9 Jun
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
28 April
In Harbin, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Jan - 31 Dec
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Harbin
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant the shrub
12 May - 9 Jun
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Jan - 31 Dec
Calamansi through the year
Against the frost risk in Harbin
Why these dates
Calamansi are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Harbin has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Harbin sits in zone 4a, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Also in Harbin
Other fruits to time
Growing calamansi in Harbin
When should I plant calamansi in Harbin?
Aim for 12 May - 9 Jun in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 19 May - 16 Jun - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will calamansi be ready to harvest in Harbin?
Expect to start picking around 1 Jan - 31 Dec, based on 150 to 210 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.