When should you pick your tangerines? Experiment to see how the taste changes over time and pick just enough to eat each week.
Q: How long can tangelos be left on the tree and still be good? After picking, how long should the tangelos last? Should tangelos be stored on the counter or in the refrigerator?
A: The recommendation is to pick citrus when it is ripe, since they don’t ripen any more once off the tree. Since we all have different tastes, it is best for you to pick one or two and try them. If they taste as good as you hoped, then pick them all. You can also experiment to see how the taste changes over time and just pick enough to eat each week. If you have a lot, storing them in the refrigerator is recommended since they will spoil more quickly if left at room temperature.
Tangelos and tangerines have some of the shorter harvest times of all the citrus fruit, and each variety is ripe for about two months. Depending on which variety you are growing, harvest is recommended between mid-November and mid-February.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to
