-CMYK-Logo.png){kind=logo}
-CMYK-Logo.png){kind=logo}
Barnfield Navel Orange Trees for Sale
Citrus made easy for growers, nurseries, and distributors
The Barnfield navel orange is a notable historic selection in the evolution of late-season navels, originating in Australia as a Washington sport and later evaluated in California. It emerged at a time when the industry was searching for dependable navels that could remain on the tree long after traditional winter harvests, helping bridge the gap between standard Washington timing and modern late-navel programs. Before Powell, Lane Late, and other ultra-late selections took hold, Barnfield played a meaningful role as proof that sweetness, rind condition, and internal quality could be maintained deep into spring.
Fruit from the Barnfield orange is richly colored with a smooth rind and seedless flesh. The eating experience reflects classic California navel character—sweet with a clean, refreshing acidity and fine segment texture. The trade has long noted Barnfield’s excellent late-season flavor and its ability to hang exceptionally long on the tree without losing internal integrity. Industry notes highlight its “deep orange peel, intense late-season flavor, and exceptional sweetness” and emphasize that it can maintain fruit quality as much as 150 days longer than early navels when managed correctly. This hang time made Barnfield attractive to growers and packers who needed a premium product in the early-summer window, a period traditionally filled by Valencias. Even today, specialty markets and heritage blocks value Barnfield for extending quality supply into May and June while still delivering a true navel experience.
Barnfield Navel Trees Your Way
From seed to container-ready.
How Our Barnfield Orange Trees Are Different
When purchasing Gillette navel orange trees from TreeSource, growers receive clean-propagated, true-to-type material from verified budwood sources. We emphasize uniformity, strong root development, and early structure so trees establish quickly and grow evenly. Shipping is handled in heavy-duty palletized triwall containers designed to secure pots and protect canopies, ensuring trees arrive healthy, stable, and ready to plant.
For orchardists and collectors seeking a classic California navel with heirloom pedigree, the Gillette orange offers a balanced, true-navel eating experience and a reliable mid-season harvest window. Whether planted in commercial rows, boutique groves, or heritage blocks, Gillette connects growers to the foundational era of California citrus — supported today by TreeSource’s clean stock program and professional handling to ensure healthy establishment and long-term success.
Barnfield Navel Orange Tree FAQs
What makes the Barnfield orange variety stand out over other navels?
Barnfield stands out because it delivers true heirloom navel flavor while holding exceptionally late on the tree—often into May and June—without sacrificing sweetness, rind quality, or juice balance. Many navels lose texture or acidity if pushed too late, but Barnfield maintains a deep orange peel, seedless segments, and a clean, rich finish deep into spring. This long hang window, combined with classic California navel character, is why the trade has historically regarded Barnfield as one of the few late navels capable of extending the season while still eating like an heirloom Washington-type orange.
What is a Barnfield navel orange tree’s peak harvest season?
Barnfield’s peak harvest runs March through June, and many growers identify May into early June as the sweet spot for internal quality and rind condition.
Unlike some varieties where late hanging might shift bloom timing, Barnfield’s bloom does not typically delay. Instead, the key consideration is that excessively long hang and heavy crop load can impede bloom intensity in the same season. When the tree spends too much energy finishing the late crop, it can reduce floral initiation and weaken the return bloom if not managed carefully. The effect is about bloom strength, not bloom timing.
Experienced growers address this by avoiding overly heavy sets headed into spring, managing irrigation to avoid stress late in the hang period, and ensuring balanced nutrition so trees carry enough reserves for flowering. With that balance, Barnfield can deliver its hallmark late-season fruit quality without compromising bloom performance.
What kind of pruning does TreeSource recommend for Barnfield orange trees?
Industry practice for Barnfield is to maintain a balanced, well-lit canopy that preserves fruit quality throughout the tree—especially important for a late-hanging navel. Pruning tends to be light to moderate and structural, emphasizing airflow and interior light rather than heavy cutting. Hedging and topping are used in commercial systems to maintain row uniformity, but selective hand-thinning cuts remain essential to remove crossing limbs, overly upright shoots, and dense interior wood that could shade fruit.
Growers focus on maintaining scaffold strength and open structure while avoiding overly aggressive pruning that can stimulate excessive vegetative growth at the expense of flowering and fruit set. Pruning is typically scheduled post-harvest, after frost risk, with light touch-ups during the season to maintain skirts and harvest access.
One key industry note for Barnfield—and other late navels—is to avoid significant pruning in light-crop years. Because Barnfield can hang fruit late and relies on good carbohydrate reserves for strong bloom and set, cutting too hard when the crop is already light can further reduce return bloom and push excess vegetative growth. Instead, light-crop years are managed with minimal pruning and careful canopy balance, reserving more structural work for heavier crop years when the tree has sufficient energy and fruit load to remain balanced.
What is the ideal climate for Barnfield navel orange trees?
Barnfield navel orange trees perform best in warm, dry Mediterranean-type climates like California’s inland valleys. They need warm days, cool fall and winter nights, and frost protection, with ideal conditions found in USDA Zones 9–10. Dry conditions during the late spring hang period help maintain rind quality and flavor.
How big will a Barnfield navel tree typically get?
A Barnfield navel tree typically grows to a medium to large size, similar to other Washington-type navels. In standard orchard conditions, trees often reach 12–15 feet tall and wide, though they can grow larger if left unpruned. On semidwarf rootstocks and with modern canopy management, many growers maintain them closer to 9–12 feet for better light penetration, picking access, and fruit quality.