Time to try citrus: top tips for limes grapefruit, oranges and lemons

A potted calamondin will add colour and scent when its branches are laden with fruit or flowers

Citrus enjoy a spell outdoors in summer, from mid-June to September

Time to trycitrus

Is it possible to grow your own lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit in the UK? Of course it is, says Graham Rice, so long as they are given a little warmth

S the idea of relaxing on the summer patio, reaching out and picking a lemon to slice for your

Iend-of-the-day G&T or a lime for your Mexican beer, a myth or a reality? Trust me, if it were a myth I wouldn’t be settling down to explain how to grow your own lemons. And limes, oranges and grapefruit, too.

Of course, citrus fruits are not as tough as apples and plums, so you can’t just plant them in the garden or leave them outside all the year round. But they’re very happy to grow in containers so, as winter approaches, you can move them into a porch, a conservatory or a greenhouse. Some will flower and fruit all the year round and their scent is amazing.

Kumquat – can take an occasional light frost.

Lemon – needs a minimum of 41°F (5°C).

Lime – needs winter frost protection.

Orange – needs a minimum of 41°F (5°C).

Let there be light Warmer temperatures suit these plants well, so they’re happy in the house, and small plants can even go on the windowsill. But they like good light so make sure you clean the greenhouse or conservatory glass as the nights draw in.

Meyer’s lemon is the most widely offered citrus, but it’s not the easiest to grow. So, for your first citrus, try a kumquat – the dainty little orange that you eat whole.

Citrus plants are usually vigorous, and will grow large if left alone, but spring pruning and trimming back strong summer shoots will keep them neat. Plants can be thorny, so look out for thornless varieties if lack of thorns is an important consideration.

Finally, citrus plants can be expensive. But, because they’re vigorous and respond well to feeding, you can start small and you’ll soon have a good-sized tree. You can try growing them from seed, as many pips from bought fruits will germinate and develop into trees, but the results can be unpredictable so are best grown for fun than for fruit.

The right temperature Although they dislike frost, citrus don’t need tropical temperatures and most will be happy just a little above freezing.

Calamondin – needs a minimum of 13°C (55°F).

Grapefruit – needs winter frost protection.

Where to buy *

Citrus Centre  citruscentre.co.uk ✆ 01798 872786 Cross Common Nursery  crosscommonnursery.co.uk ✆ 01326 290722 Victoriana Nursery  victoriananursery.co.uk ✆ 01233 740529

Calamondin Small fruits just 1in (2.5cm) across have a sweet skin and sharp flesh, and they can be eaten whole or used for marmalade. Expect 100 fruits on a 5ft (1.5m) plant. Prolific and easy to grow. H: 5-6ft (1.5-2m). Grapefruit Vigorous but less productive and longer to ripen than other citrus, although breakfast grapefruit fresh from your own tree is something special. Tolerates low temperatures, but appreciates warmth. Best in John Innes ericaceous compost. H: 6-9ft (2-3m).

Orange ‘Sanguinelli’ Blood oranges have the look and the flavour we need. They also have the advantage of being thornless, very productive and more naturally neat in growth than most citrus. H: 6-9ft (2-3m).

Lime ‘Tahiti’ An ideal pick-from-the-tree citrus for summer drinks, the seedless fruits eventually turn yellow but taste of lime. The dark-green leaves are strongly flavoured and useful in Asian and Mediterranean cooking. Almost thornless. H: 6-9ft (2-3m).

Lemon ‘Four Seasons’ The best all-round lemon, it usually flowers and fruits all the year round with fruits at varying stages on the plant together. Ripe fruits will remain in good condition for some time. H: 10-15ft (3.5m).

Kumquat ‘Nagami’ Very small, slightly pear-shaped fruits about the size of a large olive have a sweet skin and sour flesh. They are best eaten whole. Fairly hardy, but can be kept indoors most of the year for a better crop. H: 3-6ft (1-2m).

Planting and care

Use a formulated citrus feed for summer or winter Replace the top of the compost with fresh

Use John Innes No3 compost or a compost specifically made for citrus fruits.

Plant up now into an elegant container, then stand the container on pot feet to help drainage and water in with a half-strength liquid feed.

Keep moist and feed regularly using a specific citrus feed.

Repot every two years, or remove

Did you know?

LEMONS usually turn from green to yellow based on temperature, not ripeness. So assess ripeness by size and not colour, with 2-3in (5-7.5cm) being ideal. It’s better to wait until they are the right size and not wait until they’re completely yellow.

year round, but moving the plants outside for summer allows natural predators better access to help control pests. Watch blue tits picking off the scale insects.

Dealing with pests

n Look out for The most common citrus pests are aphids, red spider mite, mealybug and scale insects. You might also find that the sticky honeydew excreted by some pests produces sooty mould. Deal with the pests and the sooty mould will vanish, too.

n Basic control You can usually tolerate minor problems without taking action, or you can squash small infestations with your fingers. Localised problems can also be dealt with by dipping cotton buds in insecticide for spot treatments.

n Sprays Choose non-persistent organic treatments that contain fatty acids, natural pyrethrum or plant oils. I have BugClear Fruit & Veg to hand that deals with aphids, scale insects, mealy bug and red spider mite. Spray where needed, not the whole plant.

n Summer outside It’s sometimes tempting to keep citrus undercover in the conservatory all

A r c h i v e T I Cleaning the leaves of scale insects that also produce sooty mould

Sooty mould on leaves is a symptom of pest infestation

A r c h i v e T I Shorten the tips in summer

the top few inches of compost and replace with fresh.

Pinch back vigorous shoots in summer, and reshape the plants in late winter.

A bonus of growing a lemon or lime is you can add them to your tipple

m a t e r i a l P r e s s

Enjoying your citrus crop

MANY citrus will flower and fruit all the year round if they’re warm enough in winter, and the scent from their flowers is delicious.

You can surprise visitors by eating the small kumquat fruits whole, as they’re very tasty, or pick a lemon or lime for your summer G&T or winter cocktail without leaving your chair.

I sometimes add a garden lemon or lime when I make marmalade for a little added sharpness. Sadly, I’ve never grown enough oranges for the marmalade itself!

A mouthwatering harvest of kumquats in the UK. The plants do need heat, so are best kept in a conservatory to keep the flowers coming