I have waited 20 years for this day.
I have tried to grow citrus plants at three different houses, in two different climates.
I have had trees grow but never produce blossoms.
I have had trees grow and produce blossoms but no fruit.
I have had trees grow and produce blossoms and then get cut down in Winter's cold.
30 Limes.
Victory is sweet.
(Well, really sour in this case, but you get the idea.)
Never Give Up. Never Surrender.
I live in the Wild, Wild West. I have citrus in my back yard. Who out here doesn't? Growing oranges, grapefruit, and lemons? Easy-Peasy. They pretty much take care of themselves. Limes have been a struggle for me though. I don't know what it is. Like you though, after eighteen years of trying, I finally have a producing tree.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your victory!
Pete, my in-laws (who are also in the West) have grown lemons and oranges for years.
DeleteI tried a lemon tree here but the cold snaps were just too much. Interesting that you had issues with limes; supposedly they are the more resilient tree (mandarins are supposed to be even more so).
Nice!
ReplyDeleteDiane
Thank you Diane! I am thrilled beyond measure.
DeleteI'm on year 17 in my wait for enough sour cherries to make a regulation sized pie. I've harvested enough for a large tarte at my previous home and just the same amount finally this year where I live now. I'm hoping next year, year 18, will be the year.
ReplyDeleteI admire your dedication Ed.
DeleteNow, if I just get my asparagus to the point I can start eating them as well...
Fortunately I have asparagus in spades. I eat it until I'm nearly sick and pickle the rest for winter and still give quite a bit of it away. But I remember the lean years before that very well.
DeleteI have two root crowns that survived my initial planting and have slowly increased over the last 4 years.
Delete'Really good idea I came across in Mother Earth News a while back; if you have too many lemons, or in this case, limes, to use before they go bad, juice them, pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. Then, pop the cubes out of the trays and store them in the freezer in a Zip-Loc bag. The juice will pretty much last indefinitely! Juice one fruit and dump it into the tray to see how many cubes of juice equals one fruit. For me, one cube equals half a lemon.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know; Mother Earth News is a hippie magazine, but a good idea is a good idea...
Pete, I never refuse a good piece of information (and oddly enough, I have enough of a libertarian whiff about me that I might qualify as hippie-ish). That is actually what I was thinking of doing as we do not use a great deal of limes in general.
DeleteWoot!! Enjoy the fruits of your labors! :-) My lime tree is being temperamental this year. I'm hoping it stops being cranky. Maybe a change of potting soil and a bit larger pot.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
~hobo
Thanks Hobo! It is shockingly satisfying.
Deletenice work! those look tart!
ReplyDeleteThanks EGB! I used one today and they absolutely are!
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