Sweetie

Description

Sweetie is the HortResearch-bred mandarin/tangerine 'Bay Sweetie', one of the four NZ Bay-series mandarins for the home garden (the Bay name covers the Bay of Islands, Bay of Plenty and Poverty Bay citrus regions). Crossed in 1987 at Kerikeri, it is disease-free stock licensed for NZ gardens. It grows as a spreading tree needing moderate crop thinning and produces medium-sized fruit with easy-peel skin and very sweet, juicy, delicious winter flesh. Seed count is low, and it may be effectively seedless when planted in large blocks. Harvest runs mid-June to mid-August (July-August in harvest tables), Mid on the relative NZ mandarin scale — prime winter lunchbox fruit. Best for fresh dessert eating. Plant in a sunny, frost-sheltered spot in rich, moist, free-draining soil; feed from spring through harvest, mulch clear of the trunk, and thin fruitlets in heavy years to keep bearing regular and size up the fruit.