When to plant oranges in Cairo

Why these dates

Plant in spring once the soil has warmed, so the tree has a full season to root before its first winter. Citrus in containers should go out after the last frost and come in before the first - the move is the whole calendar in a cool climate.

Foliage is damaged around -3C and the fruit itself freezes at about -2C. Wood damage begins near -4C on a mature tree and considerably earlier on a young one.

Oranges 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 Cairo has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Cairo is zone 10b, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 3, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

See every crop timed for Cairo →