My Lemons Suck

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We planted a lemon tree about 7 years ago. Did all the mulchin’ and not as much fertilizing as we should have. Even though. Once you see the lemon growing, it takes about 2 years for it to start turning yellow. Then, I leave it for another 3 years until it “looks” mature.
At that point, the pith is inches thick and the ‘meat’ ain’t right.
Anyone got ideas as to making it right? Or is 3,4 to 5 years correct for a ripening lemon?

Here’s the tree, taken in February.
Biggles

11 thoughts on “My Lemons Suck”

  1. That’s a bona-fide mystery, Doc. We harvested about a dozen lemons the first year we planted our tree. They take about 2 months from looking like little key limes to being big & good & yellow.
    What variety of lemon is it, do you remember? How big is the tree? Not that, you know, I am an arborist or even a green thumb kind of girl… just curious.

  2. Shoulda done what I did. That is, buy a house that has a Meyer Lemon tree already there. At the base was a twenty inch square of dirt surrounded by concrete. Never gets watered ‘cept by mother nature. This tree has produced the juciest, sweetest, lemoniest lemons 24/7 for the last 25+ years. BTW, I still don’t have my Aristocrat in the kitchen yet. The folks at Apple have been talkin’ to it since Halloween. I ‘spect it to be one fine cookin’ appliance eventually. Cheers!!!!

  4. Anita,
    I don’t remember the type of lemon, got planted about 7 years ago. It’s about 12 tall now. I have fertilized it in the past and know it should be done monthly. I think what I’m going to do is cut all the yellow fruit off and fertilize, then water well and see what happens.
    Savvy,
    That stove you bought is a technilogical, huge wonder. It’s going to take some time, feh.
    I never enjoyed those Meyer lemon things. I like my fruit linear. Lemons on this side and oranges on the other.
    J. Jeffrey,
    Heh, thanks! The beef roast last night was far better!
    xo, Biggles

  5. Don’t throw your lemons away. Take them and make Limoncello. You only use the peel.

  6. I agree with Chilebrown, but if you don’t want to make likker you can make marmalade, strip some peels (zesting would take years with that many) and stick them in the freezer to use for cooking flavor. Or you could do the very haute preserved lemons everyone is touting right now.

  7. Why couldn’t we all just come over to your house some afternoon and zest lemons for you? A Tom Sawyer party. Ever’body bring a peeler.

  8. Doc,
    When I lived in Sac my lemon tree bore three lemons both winters and they were fully ripe and mature by late February.

  9. If you leave citrus on the tree longer than one season, the pith continues to ‘grow’ and not the fruit. Citrus does not ripen until harvested.
    Buy a Meyers lemon tree. They are THE best lemons in the world.

  10. Christine,
    YAY !!! Thank you for that.
    But Meyers aren’t lemons. I don’t like the taste. It’s like biting in to a pork loin roast that’s been smoked all afternoon and having it taste like halibut. It’s my way.
    Biggles

  11. Doc – I second Christine – you must just have small lemons. They ought to be getting ripe in January or so every year and they are no good beyond the Summer (usually a lot less than that). As soon as they are turning yellow I’d think about picking em. NEVER have to wait more than a year for a little green nubbin to be a lemon…