We spotted these giant ponderosa lemons at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show last weekend and nearly squealed with delight.
A lemon tree? That can grow in Chicago? Well maybe, maybe not.
Plant Spotlight: Ponderosa Lemons
Ponderosa lemons are considered a lemon-citron hybrid and average 2 to 4 pounds, although they're sometimes called "5 Pound Lemons." The peel is thick, bumpy and round, with no pointed tip.
They are less hardy than other lemon varieties but grow well in containers. So there's a chance a ponderosa lemon tree could survive a cold Midwest winter indoors, but it would have to be in a humidity controlled environment. And that could prove quite difficult.
Still, we think it might be worth the effort to have access to these lemons that have been known to produce up to a cup of juice a piece.
The taste is similar to a regular lemon, or so we hear. We were certainly tempted to pluck one of those beauties from the display, but thought better of it.
Anyone tasted or grown ponderosa lemons?
More
- Kalyn's Kitchen: Pondering the Ponderosa Lemon
- Edible Landscaping: Ponderosa Lemon
- Citrus Trees Online: Ponderosa Lemon Trees
- Chicago Flower & Garden Show
Related: Seasonal Spotlight: Buddha's Hand
(Image: Joanna Miller)
Tags
Gardening, Chicago, Midwest, Flower & Garden Show, citron, ponderosa lemonRelated Links
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i think you could do it in chicago. my parents have grown lemon trees indoors for years in indiana. to help plants have the proper humidity, fill the drip trays with gravel and keep wet. it makes a nice humid layer around the tree, even if the rest of the house is a little dry.
view pedalpowered's profile
I love Ponderosas! My grandmother had a tree in her back yard in south Texas, and we used to use the "lemons" to make lemonade - just juice and water, no sugar - or lemon tea - juice brewed tea. I wish I could find them here in Tennessee.
view harryfrank's profile
We have a huge ponderosa lemon tree in our back yard.
The juice is fairly sweet. I juiced a bunch of them and froze the juice in large soup takeout containers - I'm looking forward to making big batches of lemonade over the summer.
I'd say they produce at LEAST a cup of juice each.
Unfortunately, our tree is being overgrown by a large neigboring tree, so it doesn't seem to be as healthy as I'd like.
view asinner's profile
I tried my very hardest with a lemon tree indoors for a while. In my house, adequate sunlight is definitely not a problem, but the lack of humidity in winter is. Eventually it got spider mites that required almost daily spraying to keep even sort of under control. Unfortunately, this is how it ends for any tropical I've ever tried to winter indoors here in MN.
view splatgirl's profile