My Darling Citrus Trees

Didn't know you can grow citrus trees in the Pacific northwest!? Well you can and you should! Here's why.

I'm told growing citrus is easy and rewarding. If you at all enjoy taking care of an indoor houseplant, or you enjoy the sweet smell of fragrant blossoms filling your living room every Spring, or the taste of juicy bright lemons in the food you cook, you are in luck! I just bought two citrus trees for my apartment, a Meyer lemon tree and a Kaffir lime tree. Kaffir leaves are frequently used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking and compliment fish, soups, and stews beautifully. Lemons are wonderful in ice tea, in salad dressings, and used in (my favorite...) lemon curd! The best place to grow lemons is near a south facing window where they get lots of warmth and sun. In the Pacific northwest summers, when the evenings are warm, move the pots right out on to the deck or patio. They don't take up a lot of space! Convinced yet?

I am pretty amazed already how many blossoms my trees have on them, although I will need to soon pinch them off so more energy is directed to their roots. They will not produce fruit their first year, but the time waiting will be well worth it. I ordered both trees from a nursery in Oregon called One Green World (check out their other edibles!). They were shipped to me bare root in a long rectangular box. I unpacked them just last week, bought pots and soil, and now they are spreading their roots out, getting ready to grow so next year I can harvest some fruit. Keep growing little trees!