Merry Chrismas...quick question

[Northampton-Nick]

First of all let me wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year...
..My question,im thinking of getting some citrus fruits to grow in the greenhouse,how expensive is it to keep your greenhouse warm during the winter months...im thinking of getting an electric heater..:-)

[burnie]

Even in Northampton it will be expensive, I tried in Leicester many years ago, lined the thing with bubble wrap, got lots of condensation and mould everywhere, gave up after one winter, still have the heater though, use it in the summer house if I'm in there for a long time.

[Baldy]

Old chap on our allotment site manages to grow both lemon and orange in an unheated GH he built with corrugated plastic - I've seen a crop from the lemon tree in recent years. Maybe a degree or two warmer in Devon...

[veggiechicken]

This thread may help you decide - https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...-uk_97968.html

[rary]

I wish you the best of luck with growing them, I think it would be too expensive to try growing any citrus trees here, but you never know

[bramble]

Northampton Nick...its not just about keeping your greenhouse heated.
You need sunlight...the light levels are so low in winter I thu k you will struggle.
Very expensive to keep heating going over the winter.

[Snadger]

I have kept two lemons in an unheated greenhouse for the last couple of years and they have done ok. I think outdoors its the wind chill that does for them.

Reminds me I must get them indoors now.

[JanieB]

Citrus trees need a certain amount of cold to change colour. They just don’t like serious frosts long term. I have a lime, lemon and orange. I put them into an unheated shed to overwinter and they are fine.

[Kirk]

Lemons are actually reasonable with regards cold, think they will take 0C and maybe a bit less, but play safe and assune 5C.

The rest are less tolerant, oranges and limes. Half expect grapefruit to fall into this. Another aspect is my lime is a bush, the only grapefruit I have seen was a big bush and oranges are trees.

My lemon from seed died when it hit about -5 for a while. I kept intending to drag it indoors just never did.
Lime sits in an unheated bedroom window sill, west facing, and I get a good supply of limes from it. Present cold turns them yellow after an initial green. So I have yellow limes at present.