How to Grow Meyer Lemon
Meyer Lemon At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Citrus
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -6°C
Plant Family
Rutaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Buy a young grafted Meyer lemon in a pot: it fruits within about 2 years, and one tree is enough since it pollinates itself. Grow it in a large pot with drainage holes so you can set it outside about 2 weeks after your last frost and bring it back in before fall frost.
Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, so it is sweeter and juicier than a store lemon, with a thin skin. It stays small and handles cool rooms better than most citrus, which makes it the favourite lemon for a pot, and it can flower and fruit several times a year.
When To Start
Meyer Lemon 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 Meyer Lemon?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Meyer Lemon Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Meyer Lemon Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Pot up your Meyer lemon and set it outside in the sun
2 weeks after your last frost
Lightly shape your Meyer lemon
30 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Bring your Meyer lemon inside to a bright, cool room
3 weeks before your first frost· every year
Taste a Meyer lemon: pick when deep yellow and slightly soft
240 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new meyer lemon plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your Meyer lemon 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 Meyer lemon has had time to settle. Keep it in bright light and it will reward you.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Meyer Lemon'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 Meyer lemon full sun outdoors in summer and your brightest window indoors in winter.
- 2Use a well-drained, slightly acidic potting mix, such as a citrus or cactus mix with some compost.
- 3Water when the top 2 to 3 cm of mix is dry, and empty the saucer so the roots never sit in water.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks from spring to late summer, since pale or yellow leaves mean it is hungry.
- 5In winter, keep it in a cool, bright room away from heaters, ideally 10 to 15°C, so it rests.
- 6Indoors, brush pollen gently from flower to flower with a small soft paintbrush, and wipe off scale insects (small brown bumps) with a damp cloth.
- 7Citrus leaves and peel can upset a cat's or dog's stomach, 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
- 1Meyer lemons take several months to ripen and are ready when they are deep yellow to orange-yellow and give slightly when squeezed.
- 2Citrus does not ripen after picking, so taste one before you pick the rest.
- 3Snip each fruit off with scissors, leaving a tiny bit of stem, so you do not tear the skin.
- 4Ripe fruit holds well on the tree for weeks, so pick as you need it.
- 5Keep picked lemons in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or juice them and freeze the juice in ice cube trays.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
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