Update: Growing citrus in Minnesota

Last May I bought a dwarf Meyer lemon tree because I love lemons and thought it would be really cool to grow my own.  The weather has gotten cold enough and it’s time to take my dwarf tree indoors.  I thought I’d give everyone a report on the past couple months of growing.

When I purchased my tree (about $35 at Gertens), it had two baby lemons about the size of a grape.  The tree bloomed shortly after purchasing the tree and many other baby lemons developed.  The blooms were incredible – they were abundant and they smelled magnificent.  For this alone, the tree was worth the money!  As you can see below, there are many baby lemons on the tree at this time.  They are growing but at a very slow pace.  Even the little lemons that came on the tree when I bought it are still lime green, without a hint of yellow.  I expect I may not have edible lemons for another couple months.  Nonetheless, I still highly recommend growing your own citrus plants.  I hope this plant thrives in my house over the winter.  It’s hard to tell if it will get enough sun.