Lee
What's special about Lee
Sweet mid-season hybrid (Clementine × Orlando tangelo); rich flavor, seedy.
Growing this variety
Lee follows the same growing basics as Mandarin. Variety-specific maturity above; everything else below applies to the whole Mandarin family.
Germination
Spacing & depth
How to plant
Best grown from a grafted nursery tree for true-to-type fruit and faster harvest. From seed: use fresh seed, plant 1/2 in deep in a well-drained mix, keep 75–85°F and moist. Transplant to a sunny, well-drained site sheltered from cold winds, or grow in a large container (15+ gal) that can be moved indoors below 30°F.
Grower's tip
Loose-skinned easy-peel citrus. Satsumas are the most cold-hardy true citrus; clementines are the classic seedless winter mandarin; tangors are mandarin × sweet orange crosses.
Woody plant facts
Soil preferences
Deep, rich, well-drained soil with high organic matter.
6.0–6.8 for most; strawberries and blueberries prefer 4.5–6.0.
Compost annually; mulch with wood chips for perennial fruits.
Watering
1–2 in per week; deeper as plants establish.
Soak the root zone, not the foliage. Drip irrigation is ideal for long-lived plantings.
Overwatered: fruit split, root rot, mushy fallen fruit. Underwatered: shriveled berries, dropped flowers, sunscald.
Prefers top-watering — Trees are always top-watered — deep slow soak at the drip line, never at the trunk. Bottom-watering only makes sense for nursery seedlings.
Temperature tolerance
70–85°F (21–29°C)
55–70°F (13–21°C)
Tropical fruits (passionfruit, pepino, naranjilla) frost-tender. Temperate fruits (pomegranate, fig, sea buckthorn) tolerate hard freezes once established.
Container growing
Possible with the right cultivar
10+ gal (38 L) for tree fruit; 3–5 gal for berry canes; 12 in deep for strawberries
Choose dwarf or patio cultivars for containers; overwinter tender types indoors.
Detailed harvesting
Pick fully ripe — fruit sweetens on the plant, not the counter. Test with a gentle tug; ripe fruit releases easily.
Post-harvest storage & preservation
Refrigerate soft fruit unwashed 3–7 days. Freeze on trays, then bag. Dehydrate slices at 135°F. Jam or preserve surplus.
Culinary, medicinal & other uses
Fresh eating, jam, wine, syrup, drying. Use imperfect fruit for cooking; keep the best for the table.
Medicinal or traditional uses are shared for interest only — this is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before using any plant medicinally.
Seed saving
Most perennial fruit are insect-pollinated and often not true-to-type from seed.
Named cultivars must be propagated by cutting, division, or graft to stay true.
Rinse seeds from ripe pulp; dry 1–2 weeks. Many need cold stratification before sowing.
Your zone's planting calendar
Pick your USDA hardiness zone and we'll estimate the key dates for mandarin in your area. These are regional averages — always check your own last-frost forecast before sowing.
My Lee Mandarin notes
Lee Mandarin seeds on hand
Track packets and loose seeds you already have. Private to your account.
Par level — leave at 0 for no alert. Anything below par shows on Seed Starting and your shopping list.
From your kitchen — grow mandarin from what you already have
For fleshy fruits (tomato-family, melons, ground cherries), ferment the seed out. For dry-seeded fruits (roselle, hibiscus family), just let capsules dry on the plant.
- 1Fleshy fruit: scoop seeds and pulp into a jar of water; ferment 2–4 days until it molds; rinse, dry.
- 2Dry-seeded fruit: let capsules turn brown on the plant, then split and tap seeds out.
- 3Perennial fruits (fig, pomegranate, sea buckthorn): far easier from cuttings, division, or suckers than seed.
- 4Store all seed cool, dark, and dry in labeled envelopes.
Storage: 3–6 years dry.
Order more seeds
Running low? Reorder from one of these seed stores.
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Other Mandarin varieties
Algerian Clementine
The classic small seedless winter mandarin — the original clementine.
Marisol Clementine
Very early Spanish clementine; deep orange, tender flesh.
Nules Clementine
Late Spanish clementine — the standard commercial clementine, seedless when isolated.
Ain Taoujdate Clementine
Moroccan late-season clementine with excellent flavor.
SRA Clementine
Group of French research-station clementine selections (SRA 63, 92, etc.).
Owari Satsuma
The classic Japanese satsuma — cold-hardy to ~18°F, seedless, ripens early winter, zipper-skin peel.
Aoshima Satsuma
Late-ripening Japanese satsuma; large fruit, holds well on the tree.
Armstrong Satsuma
Early California satsuma selection; small tree, heavy bearer.
Tahoe Gold
Late-season seedless mandarin (Temple × Dancy × Encore); rich flavor.
Dancy
The classic American 'Christmas tangerine' — deep orange, tart-sweet, seedy.
Sunburst
Florida mid-season mandarin with deep red-orange rind and rich flavor.
Kinnow
Punjabi/Pakistani commercial mandarin — vigorous tree, juicy fruit, many seeds.
Ponkan
Large sweet Asian mandarin; loose skin, low acid, very fragrant.
Murcott
Rich sweet late-season tangor; deep orange, moderately seedy.
Tango
Seedless improved-Murcott selection; late season, easy peel.
Kara
Late-season mandarin (Owari × King); large fruit, tart-sweet, seedy.
Imperial
Early Australian mandarin — small, sweet, easy peel.
Szinkom
Southeast Asian mandarin selection; fragrant, sweet.
Sun Chu Sha Kat
Traditional Chinese mandarin used both as fruit and rootstock.
Temple
Classic Florida tangor (mandarin × sweet orange); rich spicy-sweet flavor, seedy.
Kiyomi
Japanese tangor (Miyagawa satsuma × Trovita orange); parent of many modern mandarins.
Tankan
Taiwanese/Japanese tangor; large, sweet, moderate seeds.
Ortanique
Jamaican tangor — juicy, aromatic, late-ripening, holds long on tree.
Sue Linda
Rare tangor selection; sweet aromatic flesh.