Updated on January 13, 2016
Lemons In Vancouver
Happy New Year!
I am currently going through the process of re-working Pacific Permaculture's old website which has dozens of old blog posts. Even though, I wrote many of them long ago the information is still totally relevant so over the course of the next few months I will be re-posting all of them here at www.pacificpermacultureschool.com.
To start off I figured it would be good to post one that is relevant to the cooler winter temperatures. This is short one I put together about helping a Meyer Lemon survive and thrive through a winter on Bowen Island BC. If I remember correctly this little tree survived a few nights that dipped below -5 and went on to blossom and produce fruit in the coldest part of the year, a result that certainly exceeded my expectations.
Have a great garden planning season.
Sincerely
Jesse
Growing Lemons In Vancouver
Are you a grow your own fanatic like me?
If you are than you probably dream of growing your own citrus.
Just because you live in a cool climate like Vancouver doesn't make it a pipe dream. It can very easily be a reality.
In fact you don't even need to have a yard or green house. All you need is a patio, incandescent Christmas lights, a piece reemay and one Meyer Lemon Tree.
The Meyer Lemon is a pot ready dwarf lemon tree, known for its prolific fruiting habit and ability to tolerate cooler temperatures. This fantastic little tree will not survive a freeze up and must be kept above freezing to survive a Vancouver winter. Fortunately that doesn't take much. My own little micro-climate experiment has exceeded expectations.
In late October I got my very first Meyer Lemon tree from Tree Eater Permaculture Nursery. For two months I just kept the the little tree in my unheated mud room. As much as the tree doesn't like freezing temperatures, it doesn't like the full heating inside a house. Once the Christmas season came along I picked up a string of incandescent Christmas lights and set up my winter lemon house.
I have the little tree inside a deep Rubbermaid bin with some straw insulating the pot. The Christmas lights inside give off heat and the reemay cloth tent acts like a transparent blanket holding heat in and letting light through. Inside the tent never drops below freezing and the plant stays quite alive and cozy.
Here on Bowen Island, I live in an apartment on the north side of a steep mountain, we do not see the sun for about 6 - 8 weeks in the middle of winter. So at the outset of my little lemon experiment I gave it a 50/50 chance of survival success. Much to my pleasant surprise, the plant is doing much more than surviving, it seems to be thriving. We have had about 2 to 3 weeks of sub-zero night time temperatures, a bucket of water on the deck has frozen solid. Through all of it, the little tent has managed to keep the lemon tree well above freezing, so much so it is currently growing 50 or more blossoms.
Come spring I am going to pot it up and under plant with ever bearing strawberries and some mint. I am really looking forward to having my first ever zero mile lemons here on Bowen Islands.
Thanks for this. I’m excited to get one now!
Hi Angela,
Glad you liked the post. They are a pretty easy plant to grow just keep your eye out for scale bugs they can become a problem especially if you keep the plant inside for any length of time. They can be controlled by finding them and squishing. Best of luck let me know how its goes. There is some other cold hardy citrus that might fit the bill as well.
Don’t forget Kumquats, They are hardier than conventional oranges or lemons.
Nagami: A bite-sized orange colored fruit with thick, sweet skin and a tangy flesh. The whole fruit, skin and all, is edible and delicious. The fruit ripens in the winter and holds well on the tree. The dark evergreen leaves and the many bright fruit make it a beautiful ornamental. A natural dwarf, it grows to only 2-3′ tall and makes a beautiful potted tree. It is hardy to 18° F (-8C). 2-3 year/2-3 foot tree.