Parent Washington Navel Orange

The Washington Navel Orange is the number #1 home garden orange, as well as the primary commercial orange grown for the grocery store. The word orange is synonymous with the Washington Navel. The Washington Navel Orange is deliciously sweet with just enough juice that it is beloved as a fresh eating orange. Unlike the later ripening Valencia Orange that is well know for its juice, the Washington Navel is a large meaty piece of fruit that is relatively easy to peel and separate. and a traditional part of all school lunches around the country This seedless orange matures early each winter and is one of the first fruits ready for harvest each year. Only a few varieties of oranges like the wonderful pink fleshed Cara Cara ripen earlier. Its thick skin makes it easy to peel, But it's the flavor of the Washington Navel Orange that makes it a true standout. Sweet and rich flavor that defines what all other oranges must compete with. The Washington Navel Orange Tree prefers full sun and fertile, well-drained soil conditions. It requires a moderate amount of watering. But need good drainage when grown in the ground. In poor draining soil consider a raised bed of 12 to 18 inches high and 3-foot square. Although it can grow to a substantial size in the ground, the Washington Navel can be held to any size with summer pruning. In 1870, cuttings from an orange tree in Brazil were sent to Washington, DC for propagation, thus, the name Washington navel orange. When these trees were distributed around the United States for general cultivation, they were so well suited to the climate of Southern California that they spawned the California citrus industry. The trees are heavy-bearing and the fruit is sweet, juicy, seedless and easy to peel.