-CMYK-Logo.png){kind=logo}
-CMYK-Logo.png){kind=logo}
Beck Navel Orange Trees for Sale
Citrus made easy for growers, nurseries, and distributors
The Beck navel orange represents a more recent phase in navel development, emerging from the 1980s–2000s when growers were refining early–Washington-type selections to capture premium pricing at the start of the navel season. Selected in California, Beck brought dependable early internal maturity, strong fall color, and seedless eating quality at a time when advancing season timing was a priority for the industry. It remains a recognized early navel that helped bridge the period between traditional Washington picks and the earliest modern-season extension work.
The Beck navel orange tree shares much of the classic Washington flavor profile, yet it distinguishes itself in two important horticultural ways. First, Beck tends to be naturally smaller and slightly more compact than a standard Washington, giving it a modest dwarfing characteristic that growers still remember as a practical advantage in training and early orchard development. Second, the fruit often has a more oval shape, a trade-recognized characteristic that is considered a fault when compared to the ideal round Washington look. Despite that drawback, Beck delivers strong early orange color, seedless flesh, and sweet fall flavor, making it a reliable entrant into early-season programs.
Beck is also referenced as Earli-Beck navel or Early Beck, names that reinforce its role as an early-season Washington-type navel option. In Central Valley districts and other warm citrus zones, it finishes ahead of standard navels, giving growers an opportunity to open packing lines earlier and supply fall markets with quality fruit rather than waiting for full Washington maturity.
Beck Navel Trees Your Way
From seed to container-ready.
How Our Beck Navel 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.
Beck Navel Orange Tree FAQs
Why are Beck trees preferred over other navel orange varieties?
Earli-Beck navels are obsolete commercially due to their oval shape. Becks are a very tasty early navel for late October and can be preferred by Mainland China markets, but the market has pivoted to prefer Fukumoto navels.
How large do Beck navel orange trees grow?
Beck navel trees are naturally a bit smaller than standard Washington navels. In most orchard and backyard settings they mature to about 10–14 feet tall and 10–12 feet wide, forming a compact, tidy canopy. They rarely grow into the larger, more vigorous stature seen in older Washington strains, and are generally easier to keep in a medium-sized, manageable form with routine pruning.
When do Beck orange trees produce fruit?
Beck is an early navel and reliably ripens ahead of Washington. In California’s inland citrus regions, growers typically begin picking in late October through November, with some fruit continuing into early December. Along cooler coastal areas, maturity usually follows about two to three weeks later. Trees generally start with a light crop in year two or three after planting and reach solid, consistent production by year four to five.
What type of rootstock is recommended to grow Beck navel oranges?
For Beck navel oranges, Carrizo is the recommended rootstock. It provides the right balance of vigor and productivity for Beck’s naturally compact growth habit, helping the trees fill their space efficiently while maintaining fruit size, quality, and early maturity. Carrizo also adapts well to the soil and irrigation conditions common in California navel regions, making it the preferred match for this early-season selection.
How well do Beck navel orange trees stand up to disease?
There is no evidence that the Beck navel orange carries any special disease resistance beyond what is typical for Washington-type navels. The original plant patent and industry notes focus on its early maturity, compact tree habit, and red-orange peel color, but do not list tolerance or resistance traits. Likewise, university and grower trial information does not identify Beck as either notably hardy or unusually vulnerable compared to other navels.
In practice, Beck behaves like a standard navel when it comes to disease. It performs best in well-drained soils, stable irrigation programs, and environments where root-health management and Phytophthora control are already part of good orchard practice. Like other navels, prolonged soil moisture, poor drainage, or root stress can predispose it to root rot issues, and there is no record of improved tolerance to HLB or other systemic citrus diseases.
When grown on an appropriate rootstock such as Carrizo and planted in the traditional navel belt with strong sanitation, good irrigation discipline, and clean nursery material, Beck establishes well and remains healthy.