When I think about planting a fruit tree in my home garden, a lemon tree is the last one that crosses my mind. Sure, I’ve caught the intoxicating scent of the lemon blossoms from next door and my grandma always had one in her garden, yet I never thought about making room for one in my own yard. After all, I didn’t really need one right?

The fruit trees that I’d planted in the past included apple, apricot, peach, pear, and orange trees. Probably because when I think of fresh fruit I get an image of produce that I can pick and eat on the spot. Certainly, I’d never done that with a lemon - so it's never made it to the list.

This season I’ve paid attention and it turns out the one fruit I use the most in my cooking and food preparation are lemons. This season I’ve been fortunate to have friends and neighbors provide our family with a steady supply of fresh, gorgeous lemons. I’ve used ever last one of them in broccoli, chicken, rice, and fish dishes. I’ve sliced them up for huge glasses of iced tea and pitchers of fruit water.

There’s no doubt that next season I’ll have a lemon tree of my own and soon I’ll be giving lemons to the next gardener who thinks she doesn’t need them. 

Lemon Tree Growing Tips (Citrus limon)

Lemon trees come primarily in two sizes; standard and dwarf. A typical standard lemon tree can be from 12-30 feet at maturity. The dwarf lemons are a short 4-10 feet, so you need to ask yourself where your lemon tree is to be planted before making a purchase.

Part of the assessment is making sure the tree will receive full sun – that’s 8 hours or more. They like their soil evenly moist and need regular watering, however lemon trees despise wet feet so they should be planted in soil that’s fairly fast-draining.

They do best in acidic soil with a pH of 6.0 – 7.5. If there isn’t enough acidity the citrus may develop a deficiency in iron or zinc. Lemon trees do well in zones 8, 9, 12-24; H1, H2 or indoors and are a hardy species that can take the cooler temperatures that other citrus can’t survive.

Most citrus trees are self-pollinating; that is, they don’t need anything else to pollinate their flowers in order bear fruit. Like other citrus, lemons need little to no pruning except for shape. You may want to trim cross branches and twigs to prevent tangled limbs. But, pruning does nothing for fruit production.

Don't disregard lemon trees in landscaping. Because they're evergreen, they add nice structure to the yard even when not in bloom or fruit.