For those of you feeling the winter doldrums, wishing you could be outside gardening, here's something that might lift your spirits. There are some fruit trees that thrive indoors in the cold and darker months that will give you fruit later in the year, and in some cases, during the winter, too. Meyer lemons are at the top of that list.
I was at my friend Eileen's house over the holidays and noticed how many citrus trees she had around. The house was filled with the sweet scent of their blossoms. Some were even bearing fruit. Imagine: in December, beautiful, plump, organically grown fruit. Why hadn't I started an orchard in my house? So I dialed up her preferred online source for fruit trees (Logee's, see below) and now I'm mommy to a Meyer lemon. Faith's had a birthday recently, and guess what she got?
Here's what you need to know about growing citrus, specifically Meyer lemons, indoors:
In climates that have cold, freezing winters, dwarf citrus trees can spend the summer and early fall outdoors then come indoors just before the first frost, which can be anywhere from late September through November, depending on geography. (Here is a US first frost date map.) During the late spring through early fall months, the trees are happiest outdoors.
Indoors, they can still produce their signature deep golden yellow fruit. Even when young, these plants bear fruit. Meyer lemons are the hardiest of the citrus trees, so they can stand if your house gets chilly (they will tolerate a minimum indoor temperature of 50° F.) Outdoors, they're hardy year-round for zones 9 and higher.
Meyers only demand that they be grown in full sun (try a south-facing window.) When conditions are right, they will produce fruit in the winter and summer.
Depending on the size you choose, you can spent as little as $10 for a tree. If you want fruit during the first season, select one of the larger trees.
Where to Buy Fruit Trees:
• Dwarf Meyer Lemon Trees from Four Winds Growers (1 year plants are 12-16" tall, $22. 2-3 year plants are over 2' tall, $40. See photo above to see the difference.)
• Tiny Meyer Lemon Tree (2.5", Logee's, $10.95)
• Small Meyer Lemon Tree (5" pot, Logee's, $21.95)
Note, due to agricultural regulations, most retailers will not ship citrus to Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California.
Related:
• Find your estimated first frost date
• Find your agricultural zone
(Images: lead photo by Faith Durand, citrus collection by Flickr member The County Clerk licensed for use under Creative Commons, bushy Meyer lemon tree from Logee's Tropical Plants, side-by-side Meyer lemon comparison photo via Four Winds Growers)
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If you do happen to live in California, there are a few companies here, I think, or you can just go to OSH. I know Home Depot also carries them but OSH has a guarantee that if it dies for any reason and you still have your receipt, you can return it (or something, I have all the details, but not with me).
I have a dwarf varigated pink lemon, myself. ^_^
I'd love to grow some of these to use when I make limoncello. I've got a blood orange tree and a mandarin orange tree that I have to drag into the house for 4 or so months each year. They've produced blossoms, but no fruit, so far.
Actually, I take that back. The mandarin produced some teeny-tiny oranges this past year, but they fell off (or were maybe knocked off by marauding birds).
i would love to grow one of these, but i don't have a southern exposure. i wonder if it would survive on an east/west exposure.
I'm wondering if there are any trees that would do well without full sun (but fardaesm beat me to it!). I would love to have fresh fruit in the winter but we don't have southern exposure ...
Fardaesm & Birdie--I don't have a southern exposure in the winter where my lemon tree can sit (we shut off the back of our house to conserve heat), and it's hard--the tree looks so sad! It's made it through two winters but just barely with an eastern window and a bright light most of the day. Go for it, but mostly just for the sweet-smelling blossoms and summer fruit!
A Meyer lemon heads-up: Last week at the Berkeley (California) farmers market I saw that Phoenix Pastificio is looking for meyer lemons. They're willing to barter, and if you've ever had the sweet pea with sauteed leek ravioli, or the almond macaroons, you know why it might be time to gather up some of those lemons and make a deal.
This makes me want to go to OSH asap, but I have always had a problem with moving plants from outdoors in. No matter how carefully I wait for the soil to dry out before watering again, nor how much homemade soapy spray or storebought "safe" spray I use, I always seem to have terrible tiny black bugs in the soil of the plants I bring in from outside - kinda like fruit flies? So now my outdoor plants stay outdoors and indoor plants stay indoors. :(
I thought I'd remembered to put everything on my "must have list" when shopping for a home. I forgot a southern or western facing window for plants. :-(
Would they be alright indoor all year? I live in an apartment and I wouldn't be able to plant it in the summer, would it get too big?
There is a guy in Nebraska that grows Meyer lemons and other citrus in pots and in the ground. Meyer is a small tree about 10' so can be raised indoors. He calls his greenhouse Citrusinthesnow.
I have a calamansi orange that is fruiting living an entirely indoor life. We just got a Meyer lemon and a key lime to go with it, too. It didn't start fruiting until we started misting the leaves every day. And we've got grow lights set up for winter, to make sure it gets its desired 12 hours of sunlight (though it is in a southern window).
Amazing!
Amazing!
Amazing!
Amazing!