edenhana

Lemon

The most cold-hardy of the common home-garden citrus and the most realistic choice for cooler gardens, with Meyer and NZ Lemonade the best-known cold-tolerant cultivars. Also the most precocious, often bearing a first useable crop from as little as 2 years after planting, and readily kept smaller and more manageable with regular pruning. Full sun and shelter from frost and wind are still essential. No reliable outdoor Canterbury/Otago planting window is given here; further south, grow it in a large pot that can be moved under cover over winter.

Sun
full sun
Water
moderate
Spacing
250cm
Harvest
Ready in about 2-3 years
Difficulty
intermediate
Grows in
Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman
Expected yield
15-30kg of fruit per mature tree per season
Cost to grow
~$30 NZD
Grocery value
~$140 NZD
Mature height
2.5m
Attracts wildlife
Bees
Evergreen
Yes
Common diseases
Sooty mould (from aphid/scale honeydew)
Common pests
Citrus leafminer, Scale insects, Aphids, Citrus rust mite

When to plant by region

In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: March-May and September-November. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: September-November.

Growing stages

  1. Planting & establishmentFirst few months

    • Full sun and shelter from frost and wind are essential from day one
    • Water regularly while roots establish; this is a moderate-water tree
    • In Canterbury/Otago there's no reliable outdoor planting window; grow in a large pot that can move under cover over winter

  2. Early growthFirst 1-2 years

    • Watch new growth for citrus leafminer tunnelling through leaves
    • Aphids and scale insects can cluster on soft new shoots, leading to sooty mould from their honeydew
    • As the most precocious of the common citrus, a first useable crop can arrive from as little as 2 years, especially on Meyer or NZ Lemonade

  3. Flowering & fruiting

    • Citrus is self-fertile, so a single tree crops on its own, but bees still improve fruit set; avoid spraying open flowers
    • Continue checking for scale insects and citrus rust mite on developing fruit
    • Lemon is the most cold-hardy of the common citrus types; Meyer and NZ Lemonade are particularly cold-tolerant cultivars worth choosing in cooler gardens

  4. MaturityOngoing annual harvest

    • Sooty mould signals an aphid or scale problem to deal with; wash off affected leaves once pests are controlled
    • Can be kept compact with regular pruning, useful given its early, precocious cropping
    • Established trees yield around 15-30kg of fruit per season

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