Growing citrus fruit in the UK

[veggiechicken]

Having read an article in the November GYO magazine, I'm curious to know how many members grow oranges or lemons and how productive they are.

Can you tell us approximately where you live, whether they're grown in a GH or outdoors and how many fruits you pick each year.

Thank you.

[chillithyme]

I grow a small lemon tree on my southwest facing windowsill, next to a small calamondin tree.
I get 4 lemons each winter,lots of fragrant flowers. The calamondin produces loads of flowers and fruit all year,but is more of a decorative plant,it has a bit of a shocking taste!

[Jay-ell]

I grow them next to the olive trees. No fruit on the citrus yet, the olives are loaded though.

Might need bigger pots.

And not leaving out in the winter,

And possibly watering.

[Bluenowhere]

I’ve got a lime.

It is about 30cm high and about the same wide in a pot. Bought last year got 8 limes last year and 10 this year, the limes are smaller than supermarket ones but very juicy and stronger flavour to my taste. Have about 15 formed and growing at the moment. I keep outside until it starts to feel chilly in the shade in the late afternoon (bit unscientific I know) it then spends the winter in our unheated porch. Water with rain water when I have it and tap water when I don’t.

I mainly use lime juice in cooking and sliced lime in drinks. At the end of the summer when the new limes are forming we cut off the remaining ones and slice up and freeze for drinks which seems to help the new ones swell up. They might grow bigger if we left them but I prefer more smaller ones as normally only need a small amount of juice/zest and little slices.

We bought it as a bit of fun but it surprisingly meets our lime needs and it is still a baby in my eyes so would expect it to grow and be equally if not more productive.

[devonuk]

Dartmoor, cold greenhouse, 4 seasons lemon, kumquat, calamondin, chinotto, tangerine, Washington navel orange. The lemon is cutting grown and not yet fruiting, navel orange grafted not yet fruiting, others 20 to 30 fruits a year generally but no tangerines this year - I think it resented the cold snap in March.

[DannyK]

The calamondin produces loads of flowers and fruit all year,but is more of a decorative plant,it has a bit of a shocking taste!

Maybe you are picking them too early. They should be soft. Had lots in Philippines where they are a lemon substitute. My 5 are like bullets now.

This calamondin overwinters outside in Beckton, which is near Cyprus--no no the East London one, not the med! Nobody told it or my wife's friend that they weren't hardy!

[Jay-ell]

Maybe you are picking them too early. They should be soft. Had lots in Philippines where they are a lemon substitute. My 5 are like bullets now.[ATTACH=CONFIG]83731[/ATTACH]

This calamondin overwinters outside in Beckton, which is near Cyprus--no no the East London one, not the med! Nobody told it or my wife's friend that they weren't hardy!

Do you bring it inside in a bad winter? (sits at keyboard singing Bernard Cribbins song)

Naming parts of London after trees - must have Poplar at one time.

[DannyK]

My Tesco calamodin, bought last year, has stayed in greenhouse throughout (40F in winter) as it has so far been pest free. It looks as if it's a cutting. Someone gave me a sickly leafless one last year, which has also stayed in gh. Looks much healthier now but hasn't flowered. It's a grafted plant.

The one in Beckton has been outside for years. It's ex B&Q.

There's Limehouse but that's to do with the mineral.

[Snadger]

My two lemon trees stay out during the summer and go in a cold green house for winter.


This year my greenhouse has no roof so we'll see how they cope with that. They will be protected from the wind, which I would imagine is there main undoing. We shall see.

[bramble]

Never tried growing citrus fruit but may try next year after reading all these posts.

[Kirk]

Mainly mine is a lime, have a lemon also.
Lime seems most successful and I presently have about 15 limes developing happily on it. Some big enough to pick immediatly - papaya and lime is good also mascapone lime cheesecake is easy.

Lemon gets less fruit, and I keep the fruit thinned as a lemon is bigger and can over burden a branch.

Lime does lose leaves, so needs "sweeping" around it regularily.

Have found best that when suitable locations are found then do not move them. Lime stays in all year as it throws a fit and loses leaves if moved outside. Grows them back but the occurs when moved in again. So it lives inside. Lemon tends to drop leaves then replaces with BIG ones when outside, looks a bit odd.

[chillithyme]

Beautiful tree
I tried it when it was soft, it was on the very sharp/sour side

Maybe you are picking them too early. They should be soft. Had lots in Philippines where they are a lemon substitute. My 5 are like bullets now.[ATTACH=CONFIG]83731[/ATTACH]

This calamondin overwinters outside in Beckton, which is near Cyprus--no no the East London one, not the med! Nobody told it or my wife's friend that they weren't hardy!

[pinksky]

I bought this as a 6" seedling:

Poncirus trifoliata 'Flying Dragon'
Hardy Japanese Bitter Orange/Hardy Lemon (Dwarf, contorted selection)

this summer from a specialist nursery and they say that it should be fine growing outdoors in a sheltered sunny spot. I'm hoping that they're right in a few years to come.

[DannyK]

Chilterns did seed while back.
They are supposed to be very bitter but can be used for marmalade and also make very good thorny security fence.
Anyone tried murraya?

[MyWifesBrassicas]

My citrus is by my backdoor, inside!
It's not much of a citrus, it's a kumquat I grew from a seed 35 years ago, I was 14 years old.
I gave it to my grandad as a christmas present, I inherited it back when he died a few years ago.
I think the only reason why I keep it is sentiment as its useless at fruit, in fact, it's never fruited!

I take it to my allotment greenhouse every May and bring it back every Oct/Nov. One year i forgot to bring it back and it was hit by a few bad frosty episodes and its still alive.
I think they're hardier than is often suggested, I reckon waterlogging in cold weather would kill it though, it sulks if i over water it, drops leaves and takes ages to recover.