Lemon Tree

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Lemon Tree: Spring: winter pruning while the tree is dormant. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on thinning fruitlets in early summer to improve individual fruit size during this period which set up the rest of the year. …

After growing Lemon Tree for over a year here is what I'd tell a beginner. First: thinning fruitlets in early summer to improve individual fruit size is not optional — it's the foundation everything else depends on. Second: biennial bearing producing a heavy crop every other year will happen and yo…

I had a serious problem with codling moth larvae in fruit at harvest on my Lemon Tree earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational. Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate harvest of home-grown fruit with e…

I planted Lemon Tree primarily for ornamental reasons. What I didn't anticipate was the wildlife it would attract. harvest of home-grown fruit with exceptional fresh flavour seems to be particularly appealing to bees and butterflies during the main growing period. I grow it in a large half-barrel c…

I'd had Lemon Tree for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to mulching around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. blossom spectacle in spring before any other ornamen…

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with Lemon Tree. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to mulching around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds. I grow mine in an orchard with mixed varieties for cross-pollination which is worki…

I'm a busy person and can't give every plant the attention the books recommend. Here's what I've learned about the minimum viable care for Lemon Tree. thinning fruitlets in early summer to improve individual fruit size is genuinely non-negotiable — skip this and the plant declines noticeably. Every…

The first few months with Lemon Tree were underwhelming. Almost no visible growth and I questioned my decision repeatedly. Then something shifted — I think getting thinning fruitlets in early summer to improve individual fruit size right was the turning point. blossom spectacle in spring before any…

I planted Lemon Tree at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. biennial bearing producing a heavy crop every other year didn't help matters. Once I understood formative pruning in the first three years to build good structure th…