How to Grow Mandarin
Mandarin At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Citrus
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -5°C
Plant Family
Rutaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Buy a young grafted mandarin in a pot: it fruits years sooner than one from seed and stays true to its variety. Pot it into a container at least 40 cm wide with a fast-draining mix, and move it outside about 2 weeks after your last frost. One tree fruits on its own.
Mandarins are self-fertile and one of the easiest citrus to grow in a pot, often fruiting within 2 years. They are damaged below about -5°C (23°F), so in Canada they summer outside and spend winter in a bright, cool room.
When To Start
Mandarin needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Mandarin?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Mandarin Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Mandarin Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Pot up your mandarin and move it outside for summer
2 weeks after your last frost
Lightly shape your mandarin if it needs it
30 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Bring your mandarin inside to a bright, cool spot
3 weeks before your first frost· every year
Taste a mandarin, pick only fully coloured fruit
240 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new mandarin plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your mandarin settling in? Water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry, then let the pot drain.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your mandarin has had time to settle. Give it lots of bright light to keep it happy.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Mandarin's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
300 cm
Plant Spacing
400 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give your mandarin full sun outside in summer, at least 8 hours a day, and your brightest window in winter.
- 2Grow it in a fast-draining potting mix for citrus or cactus, in a pot with drainage holes.
- 3Water deeply when the top 3 to 5 cm of soil is dry, and never let the pot sit in water.
- 4Feed every 2 to 3 weeks from spring to late summer with compost tea or a top layer of worm castings, since citrus is a hungry plant.
- 5In winter, keep it in a cool spot around 10 to 15°C (50 to 59°F), away from heaters and hot air vents.
- 6Indoors, look under the leaves for small brown bumps (scale) and fine webbing (spider mites), wipe them off with a damp cloth, and rinse the tree in the shower now and then.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
250 cm
Mature Height
200 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Pick when fully coloured and slightly soft; fruit can hang on the tree for weeks
How to Harvest
- 1Mandarins are ready when the skin is fully coloured and the fruit gives a little when you squeeze it.
- 2Citrus does not ripen any more once picked, so taste one before you pick the rest.
- 3Snip the fruit off with scissors, leaving a short stem, so the skin does not tear.
- 4Ripe fruit holds well on the tree for weeks, so pick as you need it.
- 5Keep picked mandarins on the counter for about a week, or in the fridge for longer.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
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