Thomson Navel
What's special about Thomson Navel
Early smooth-skinned navel selection of Washington; ripens ahead of the standard.
Growing this variety
Thomson Navel follows the same growing basics as Sweet Orange. Variety-specific maturity above; everything else below applies to the whole Sweet Orange 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
Sweet oranges are the classic juice and eating orange. Navels are seedless and easy to peel; Valencias are the top juice orange; blood oranges ripen crimson in cool nights.
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 sweet orange in your area. These are regional averages — always check your own last-frost forecast before sowing.
My Thomson Navel Sweet Orange notes
Thomson Navel Sweet Orange 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 sweet orange 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 Sweet Orange varieties
Washington Navel
The classic seedless navel — sweet, easy-peel, winter ripening. The most widely grown fresh-eating orange.
Cara Cara
Pink-fleshed navel with berry-like notes; low acid, seedless, winter ripening.
Summer Gold Navel
Late-season navel that holds well on the tree into summer.
Lane Late Navel
Late-ripening Australian navel — extends the navel season by months.
Navelina
Very early Spanish navel; small tree, heavy bearer.
Powell Navel
Late-season Australian navel similar to Lane Late; excellent flavor.
Rhode Navel
Early California navel selection; smaller fruit, high sugar.
Valencia
The classic juice orange — high juice, thin rind, ripens spring–summer. Can re-green on the tree without losing flavor.
Delta Valencia
Nearly seedless Valencia selection widely grown for juice.
Midknight Valencia
Seedless South African Valencia; ripens slightly earlier than standard Valencia.
Moro
The deepest-colored blood orange — burgundy flesh, raspberry aroma. Needs cool nights for full color.
Tarocco
Italian blood orange — sweeter and less pigmented than Moro; considered the finest-flavored blood orange.
Sanguinelli
Late Spanish blood orange with red-blushed rind and streaky red flesh.
Thermal Tarocco
Tarocco selection that colors well even in warmer climates.
Hamlin
Early juice orange grown across Florida; nearly seedless, cold-hardier than most sweet oranges.
Pineapple
Mid-season Florida juice orange with rich pineapple-like aroma; seedy.
Pera
Brazil's top juice orange — small, thin-skinned, very juicy.
Shamouti
Israel's famous oval, thick-skinned, seedless eating orange with rich flavor.
St. Michael Paperrind
Historic Azorean orange with paper-thin rind; heirloom cultivar.
Akcay Sekeri
Turkish 'sugar orange' — very low acid, mildly sweet, nearly acid-free.
Ambersweet
Cold-hardier USDA hybrid (orange × mandarin × grapefruit); early ripening.
Sunburst
Early-ripening deep-orange hybrid; classed with oranges in some regions and tangerines in others.