How to Grow Lime
Lime At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Citrus
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -2°C
Plant Family
Rutaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Buy a young grafted lime tree (a named lime joined onto sturdy roots), which fruits years sooner than a seedling, often within 2 years. It can pollinate itself, so one tree is enough. Plant it in a large pot with drainage holes, and move it outside about 2 weeks after your last frost.
Lime trees are among the most cold-tender citrus and are damaged near -2°C (28°F), so here they live in a pot. The fragrant white flowers can scent a whole room, and the fruit takes several months to ripen. Most limes are picked green, at full size, before they turn yellow.
When To Start
Lime needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Lime?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Lime Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Lime Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Pot up your lime and set it outside after frost
2 weeks after your last frost
Lightly shape your lime tree
30 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Move your lime to a bright window indoors before frost
3 weeks before your first frost· every year
Look for ripe limes and taste one before picking more
270 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new lime plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your lime tree settling in? Water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry, then let the pot drain.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your lime tree has had time to settle. Keep it in your brightest spot and turn the pot now and then.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Lime's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
300 cm
Plant Spacing
400 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give your lime full sun outdoors in summer and your brightest window in winter, away from heaters.
- 2Grow it in a large pot of fast-draining potting mix with some compost, never in a pot without holes.
- 3Water deeply when the top few cm of soil are dry, and never let the pot sit in water.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 2 to 3 weeks from spring to late summer, since citrus are hungry plants.
- 5Indoors, look for sticky leaves, scale (small brown bumps) and fine webs, and wipe them off or rinse the tree in the shower.
- 6Lime leaves, peel and stems can make cats and dogs sick, so keep pets from chewing them.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
250 cm
Mature Height
200 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Pick when fully coloured and slightly soft; fruit can hang on the tree for weeks
How to Harvest
- 1Limes are ready several months after flowering, when they reach full size, turn glossy and give slightly when squeezed.
- 2Taste one first, since citrus does not ripen any more once picked.
- 3Cut the fruit off with pruners, or twist it gently, leaving a short bit of stem.
- 4Ripe limes hang on the tree for weeks, so pick them as you need them, before they turn yellow and lose their sour bite.
- 5Keep picked limes in the fridge for a few weeks.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
Ask your coach about your lime.
This page covers what we thought to write down. Your lime will do something it never mentions, and that is the day a coach beats a guide. Ask Coach Lumen one question right now, free, no account.
