Although lemons and other citrus fruits are indigenous to warmer climates, in recent years they have become a popular plant in many parts of the world. They do need a little care and attention but they are worth their weight in gold!

Healthy Reasons
Lemons have been used in medicinal preparations for generations. The most well-known is probably a lemon and honey drink which soothes symptoms of coughs and colds.

Lemons are a source of dietary fibre and an average lemon weighing approx. 58g contains around 30mg of vitamin C.
Lemons are used in many commercial products because of their grease cutting and bleaching agents.

TIP: Don’t throw away old slices or pieces of lemon. Use them to wipe round the sink every time you wash up. It cuts through any greasy spots and leaves a lovely smell behind. Leave a slice over the outlet so that the water draining away will contain some lemon juice and help clean through the pipes and drains.

Make your own fresh organic lemonade
This is a quick recipe – no fizz though!

Roughly chop three whole (un-waxed) lemons and put them into a food processor with about 6oz (175g) of sugar and a pint (0.5l) of water.
Blend until the lemons are finely chopped. Sieve into a large bowl, pressing as much juice as you can through the sieve. Top up with another pint of cold water and serve chilled.

Getting back to Growing Lemons at Home…

Choose a healthy plant from your local garden supplier and double check on growing recommendations before you buy. Lemons do have specific needs and particular types in different regions may have growing requirements not suited to you.
The ‘Meyer’ lemon is very popular and possibly one of the easiest to look after. Lemon trees should be self-fertilizing so you won’t need to buy two plants. While you’re in the shop, buy a bigger pot if the tree looks as if it is about to burst through its current container.
You’ll also need some good organic potting compost and a natural food so that you can encourage your plant to produce more fruit.

If your local supplier can’t supply, there’s always Amazon! I found this plant, at the time of writing, on Amazon (UK). I’ve never tried growing dwarf varieties but this may be a good option for a patio plant.

Lemon Plant Citrus Houseplant
Evergreen mini dwarf lemon fruiting trees otherwise known as Limon Meyerii, grown for its high yield juicy yellow fruits high in vitamin C – perfect gardener gifts!

Happy Growing!

Linda x

P.S. Some of this post was taken from ‘How to Grow Lemons‘ – downloadable now. (updated edition)

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