Brent is located in Placerville. The elevation is about 2000 feet: too low for snow but not in the warm and cuddly Sacramento Delta area. The elevation in Sacramento is probably a minus number
and doesn't get very cold. Orangevale is a little warmer and a little lower than Placerville.
I grew citrus in rural Oakdale, CA also Zone 8. It is a little trickier but not impossible. Brent, look for a warm area on your property: at the top of a slope or in the lea of your house if its the sunny side are always good choices. What you are looking for is a micro-climate - a spot in your yard where the temperature is a little higher than the rest. Lemons and grapefruit are very cold hardy depending upon variety. Oranges and mandarins less so and key limes not at all. With most citrus, the cold won't kill the tree but it will destroy your fruit crop. Really cold nights are also windless nights. Make sure your trees are well watered before a hard freeze and put kerosene lamps under the trees. Or find some old fashioned Christmas tree lights (the ones that make heat) and string them in your trees.
Good luck with your project.
Daisy
