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Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 9–11 · 12 varieties

Lemon

Citrus limon

Rutaceae — the same plant family as mandarin, orange, grapefruit and lime. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Lemon (Citrus limon) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 9–11. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–6.5 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–3 yr on a grafted nursery tree, or 7–10 yr from a seed. Watch for aphids and citrus canker. Below: its full sourced profile from 6 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 9–11 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 2–3 yr — grafted grafted
Mature size 10–20 ft
Spacing 180–300 in
Soil pH 5.5–6.5
Frost Tender
When to plant lemontypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Flowering
Establishing
Fruit set
Growing
Ripening
Harvest
Growing

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing lemonevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
9–11
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
5.5–6.5
Soil texture
Loam, Sandy, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Tender

The plant

Mature height
10–20 ft
Mature spread
10–15 ft
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
180–300 in
Between rows
180–300 inest
Planting depth
At soil level
Container size
10–25 gal — start at the low end, pot up as it growsest
Support
Self-supportingest
Grown from
Grafting, Budding, Transplant

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–1.5 in/wkest
Critical water
Establishment, Fruit setest
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
2–3 yr
That is the grafted nursery tree, which is what a nursery sells. Grown from a seed on its own roots it is 7–10 yr — a different tree, and a different wait.
Chill hours
0–100 hrs
Pollination
Self fertile
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Winter damage below
28–31 °F
Winter kill below
20 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsAphidsSpider mitesMealybugsCitrus leafminerAsian citrus psyllidCitrus rust miteCitrus red miteFlorida red scaleSnow scaleBroad mite
DiseasesCitrus cankerCitrus scabCitrus greeningSooty moldGreasy spotMelanose

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PeopleContact dermatitis

Petsdogs, cats, horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 12 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeDiseaseWhat it is known for
Amalfi Heirloom — Large Oscar Tintori Vivai describes this asno seeds
Eureka Heirloom True Lemon — Medium University of California, Riverside — Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection records this asno thorns
Genoa Heirloom True Lemon — University of California, Riverside — Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection records this astakes the cold
Improved Meyer Heirloom Meyer — Orange Medium University of California, Riverside — Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection records this astakes the cold · no thorns
Lisbon Heirloom True Lemon — Medium
Millsweet Limetta Heirloom Sweet Lemon —
New Zealand Lemonade Sweet Lemon — Medium
Pomona Sweet Heirloom Sweet Lemon — Small University of California, Riverside — Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection records this astakes the cold
Ponderosa Heirloom Citron Lemon Hybrid — Very Large University of California, Riverside — Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection records this asgrown to look at
Santa Teresa Femminello True Lemon — MAL_SECCO
Variegated Pink Eureka — Bicolor University of California, Riverside — Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection records this asgrown to look at
Villafranca Heirloom True Lemon —
Sources6 cited · 6 organizations
  • Mississippi State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Aggie Horticulture)
  • UF/IFAS Extension
  • University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
  • University of California Master Gardeners of Placer County

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 18 of the 24 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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