Lemon tree in a pot?

Noddy, I used to LOVE that song..

To plant (small) orage and lemon in (not so big) pots and place them in rooms what quite fashionable here a couple of years ago - the favourite present on anniversaries, when you wanted to present some "extroardinary flowers" :wink:

What a lovely gift, Walter! "Extraordinary flowers": I like that!

Thanks for all your good advice, osso. You certainly know a lot about a lot of things! I'm so impressed!

As I was doing my garden promenade this perfect, sunny morning I was checking out all the potential spots to put another pot (with the lemon tree). I know what you mean about the need for regular watering, so it'll have to be somewhere right under my nose, to constantly remind me to do it. So easy to forget, with pots tucked away in out-of-sight positions.

Unless you rig up drip system with a timer...


I don't know a lot about a lot of things, Mssy. I know a small amount about many things, and the small amount is starting to waver.

Oh, I don't know about that, osso!:

Cooking, art, gardening, Italy & Life! That's quite a bit, I think! And probably only the tip of the iceberg! :wink:

Drip, drip, drip...

My father raised a dwarf lemon in a pot no bigger than the one in your picture, MsOlga, while living in retirement in a very cold climate zone in New Hampshire. Except for the really hot days of Summer, he kept it indoors, in good light, the whole time. In time, it produced exactly one lemon. But -- and I'm not kidding -- it was the most delicious lemon I have ever tasted. Nothing like the store-bought varieties with skins that are a quarter of an inch thick. This was one perfect lemon with a paper-thin skin and hardly tasted sour at all. Just a hint of tang, delicious! Good luck in your endeavors, MsOlga.

That sounds like a Meyer lemon.... (perhaps).

I love that story, Andrew! And your father must have been a very special sort of person to have nurtured this little plant, so lovingly & for so long! It's gratifying to know that he eventually received his reward. A lemon to die for! Lovely!

When we lived in California we had a Meyer lemon in our garden (huge) and a dwarf version in a pot. The potted specimen lived for several years and was still alive when we gave it away, but it was susceptible to lack of water and fertilizer poisoning. I once made all the leaves fall off with an overdose of fertilizer spikes, but removing them and flushing with water brought another set of leaves into bloom.

Msolga my in laws have a sizable lemon tree in a half barrel wooden (about 75 cm wide by 1 m deep very approx) in Wagga Wagga. The tree is about 2m high and 1m wide.

It been there for years and bears just enough lemons to keep them going most of the time.

They empty the tea pot on it each day after breakfast.

The barrel sits on bricks in a paved area with a northerly aspect and the house close on the south and east side.

Pot size for you should not matter, it will only grow as big as the pot you put it in allows. Oh and dont kid yourself you can shift a half wine barrell, pick a spot and leave it there.

Oh, I'm not kidding myself about that, dadpad! I'd figured that out.

This sounds promising. Thanks!

Much like my half wine barrel on the bricks...



I'm trying to remember, I think I added a bunch of holes in the bottom of the wine barrel and put either mesh or some clay shards over the holes..

For my own curiosity, I'm looking around for wheelie thingies for keeping plants on. So far I've only found this mention -
http://doityourself.com/info/containergrownfruit.htm

It would have to be a rather large, heavy contraption to do the job properly, osso. Maybe just leave the pot/s stay put?

Well, one could use an appliance whatchacallit, or perhaps a sturdy "dolly" for winter-spring moves, perhaps. Wondering what they use at Villa Petraia...

If you find out, osso, let us know.

Mom grows everything on her little sun porch in Missouri. She has a lemon, orange and palm tree in large pots. During the summer she takes them outside for the day. The orange and lemon trees produce fruit regularly.

It can be done. Not by me, having not inherited her green thumb, but it can be done.

'Course, we'll want pictures of your first fruitling.

I'll have to plant it first, Squinney!

Yep, I'm definitely going to do it! The idea of going out & picking a lemon when you need one is very appealing. Much like going out & picking your own herbs as you cook. In between my flowers, bushes & small trees I have parsley, thyme, marjoram, chives growing & different potted mints (common, spearmint & Vietnamese), a small bay tree, plus some tarragon & basil enjoying their last days before winter really sets in. It is great to just go out & snip a bit of this & that to add to what I'm cooking. Plucking a fresh lemon from my own little tree to squeeze over, say, some steamed fish, really appeals.