Meyer Lemons in West Marin
An attractive, evergreen shrub or tree with delicious, fragrant fruit, Meyer lemon thrives in the warm corners of most gardens, even on the Inverness Ridge. Our garden is on the north/east slope of the Inverness Ridge, a cool, shady site perfect for growing ferns and maple trees. Our only “hot spot” is on a south-facing patio and there, in large white pots placed next to the house wall, I have two productive Meyer lemons, one a dwarf and the other an often-pruned small tree. The dwarf is beneath a large window whose reflected sunlight adds additional summer heat. They have been there for about 8 years, and this past year provided us with perhaps 50 – 60 delicious lemons, my only food crop, not counting rosemary, thyme, parsley, mint and chives.
The juice of Meyer lemon is sweeter than that of other lemons, less tart and acid. Its thin skin is edible, perfect grated or julienned on vegetables, fish, stews, salads, and, in our house, in ice cream and marmalade. Its aromatic, slightly sweet flavor has become a favorite with contemporary cooks. Writes Alice Waters, “To those who have never tasted them, our recurring insistence on Meyer lemons may seem like an irritating California eccentricity, but I don’t know many people who have tried one without getting hooked.”
Meyer lemons ripen throughout the year and can be left on the tree until you need them, not like apricots that ripen in two weeks and have to be consumed or preserved almost immediately. So, at dinner time, I take my snippers and cut off what I need, leaving the rest. Last summer, our trees bloomed for what seemed like months, attracting bees and filling the courtyard with a tangy, sweet aroma. The flowers are whitish, with pale lavender edges, and since we hadn’t yet harvested all the lemons, the trees were adorned with both yellow lemons and white blossoms.
Citrus in our cool summer climate is a bit dicey. They need heat to thrive, and are sensitive to freezing temperatures. Of all the citrus, Meyer lemons require less heat but still need a sunny, warm place to grow and produce fruit. Growing them in pots allows you to move them to warmer corners, following the sun and also make it relatively easy to protect them on cold winter nights. Since our patio is concrete and the house wall fairly dark, these combine to hold heat, protecting the lemons from freezing temperatures.
In writing this article, I learned that Meyer lemons are native to China, and were used by the Chinese as indoor houseplants. They were introduced to the U.S. by Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the USDA sent to China on a specimen collecting trip. Grown throughout California by the mid-40s, it was then discovered that the plant carried, but did not exhibit the symptoms of, a rather deadly disease that affected all citrus. Existing stocks of Meyer lemons were destroyed. A disease resistant stock developed in the 1970s, now called Improved Meyer Lemon, was certified by the University of California in 1975.
With evergreen, glossy dark green foliage, yellow fruits and occasional flowering, Meyer lemons are very attractive in either a large pot or in the ground, and are a popular landscape shrub (dwarf) or tree. They respond well to pruning for shape, even to espalier on a warm wall. I keep my shrubs trimmed back and remove weak stems from time to time. As to other care, they require excellent drainage, but don’t like to dry out, a caution when planting them in pots. I water mine daily on really hot summer days, twice a week the rest of the time, except for winter and then only after a long dry spell. Like all citrus, Meyer lemons require regular fertilizing, monthly in pots, quarterly in the ground, with emphasis on nitrogen. Subject to iron chlorosis or zinc deficiency (yellowing leaves), treat plants with chelated iron or iron sulfate, either as a spray or added to the soil (I do both). To keep the tender surface roots from drying out, mulch with 2-3 inches of compost, sawdust, even gravel. I find that soil in pots tends to shrink and adding 2 inches of mulch greatly improves the health of my lemons and replenishes the soil level. I use both liquid fish fertilizer and an organic dry granulated fertilizer, on the assumption that a diversity of nutrients is more likely to serve the plants needs than always one kind. (Just like my family).
If at all possible, I like to garden with trees and shrubs that flower. That Meyer Lemons are relatively easy to grow, are always attractive — especially when blooming, and provide a bounty of delicious lemons most of the year are reasons enough to find that sunny corner of the garden to plant one.