Ohio-grown Grapefruit: The Moment of Truth

The two grapefruit grew steadily all spring and summer long. Around the first of May, I moved the plant out to the front yard, where it lived on a pedestal with a bunch of friendly petunias and mallows, gerania and gardenia, cuphea and heliotrope. It never once blew off the pedestal--that's what a nice summer we had. Fall came and it got chilly and around the second week in October I moved it into the Groanhouse. Found the heater nonfunctional thanks to some kind of mason bees, having filled up the gas ports with clay. Went on a wild search for the perfect heater. Installed a monster that is now proving to be too much for the space and the plants. Groan.

 But that's another story. 

On the evening of November 13, I was doing a bedcheck and found the grapefruit tree sitting in a full saucer of water. Nobody likes to sleep with wet feet, so I tilted the pot to get the saucer out from under it. The left hand fruit fell from its pot support and leapt to the floor, where it bounced and rolled. Well! I guess you're ready to drop!

Note the two green understudies cheek to jowl with the lower yellow fruit. Obviously the bees got to its summer flowers, no pinkypollinator required. 

If these two greenies were conceived in June, we may be eating homegrown grapefruit again in April! I remain agog that such a paltry little plant could make two such delicious fruit. Talk about overachieving. I strive to keep it fed with time-release fertilizer, make sure it never goes dry, give it as much sun as possible, but still. It owes me nothing so extravagant.

I brought the noble fruit upstairs and kept it on the counter for a couple of days, in awe of this tiny shrublet's achievement. It was pungently fragrant, heavy with juice. I weighed it: 11 oz. Which is a very respectable weight for a small grapefruit. Heavier than the ones in the stores right now, and no smaller. 

Chet Baker wondered what the fuss was about when the time came for  Cutting the Grapefruit.

It was so beautiful. I couldn't bear to take a knife to it. But that's what it is for.

I steeled myself and sliced. Never was there a finer fleshed, juicier, more delicious Ohio Ruby Red grapefruit born. OK, it's not red. But we aren't in Florida, are we?

Bill made a little video. And me, still in my jammies. I just wish I could give each one of you a section.

Growing Grapefruit Under Glass

You will remember the Greenhouse Apocalypse of November 23, 2013. For those who don't, it was when the gasline between our well and the house froze up, and everything in my greenhouse froze solid. About 3/4 of my plants died outright. 

Ach, that post. I just glanced at it and quickly closed the window. Something best forgotten, that awful night.

I mourned for a long time. And then in the dark of December, on a gray woolen day, I drove to Scott's Greenhouse in Boaz, WV, and bought everything tropical that they had that might have a fragrant blossom. Everything half-price, everything must go. I bought some kind of sad-looking jasmines, passed on the giant pink hibiscus tree, and picked up and put down a teeny tiny Ruby Red grapefruit tree, not even a foot tall, about four times before I thought, "What the hell. It'll be covered in scale and I probably won't ever get fruit off it, but it'll smell nice when it blooms."

And the buds opened in the darkest winter days, and I was transported to sunny Florida, standing on the edge of an orange grove when I was about 12, seeing my first swallow-tailed kite circling overhead as I inhaled the fragrance of citrus. Worth the $8.00. Oh yes. 

It has never gotten scale, probably because of some systemic poison in the soil applied by the grower.  I repotted it, but the protection remained. Not going to wonder too much about that. Just glad it doesn't have scale. I can hear my poor orchids groaning. Once scale sets in, it's impossible to eradicate. Yes, darling orchids, I hear you, and a repot is coming. Just ordered a king's ransom of Aussie Gold potting medium. I'll wash you yet again, spray you down with Dr. Bronners peppermint soap and rubbing alcohol, give it another try.

The plant came with a big tag with care instructions, and what I thought was an overly ambitious reverse bearing two recipes for Ruby Red grapefruit. Right. Don't think I'll need your salsa recipes, but I like your optimism.

Flower after flower opened and then fell off without setting fruit. So one day I took my pinky to the stamens and twiddled them and lo and behold! the fruit stopped falling off. I had pollinated the flowers. It set a bunch of tiny green pea-sized fruit!

Here were the fruits on January 13, 2014.

In the wisdom of a small tree burdened with too many fruits,  the plant aborted all but two, one on each side. I thought that was wise of it, to distribute the weight symmetrically. For those would get heavy.


It bloomed a couple more times, but I didn't pollinate the flowers, not wanting to overburden the plant.

Such a delight in the darkest days of winter, to walk in and smell that.

Against the snow...

I delighted in watching the little fruits grow. (note Jasminum sambac, going nuts between my fingers!)

By March 7, 2014, we had two very nice fruits the size of jawbreakers, and the plant kept trying to make more! No, little tree, you have your arms full. Just concentrate on what you have. I'm not playing bee for you until you show me you can bring these to maturity.

Stay tuned...You know I don't start a story without having a nice ending in the wings.