Psst....Wanna See My Lemons?

So we planted a lemon tree and came back from vacation to find blooms. The question is do we have lemons? Yessiree...lots of lemons, and I couldn't be happier.

The tree is about 6' tall, and at the end of 8-10 of its branches are these clusters of fruit. Some have just one lemon; others have four or five. These little guys are about as big as the end of my thumb. You can see the last remants of the faded bloom at the base of the fruit.

My research tells me I need to thin these clusters down to a single fruit before they reach golf ball size in order to have quality fruit. Mother Nature has done that on her own on some of the branches. The smallest ones, like the one beginning to turn yellow in this photo, have whithered and dropped off on their own on some of the branches. I like seeing all the lemons though...I'm not sure I can pick off the extras.

There's some question about who surprised whom here. As I was moving around the tree to photograph the biggest lemon at the top, this little lizard was there too. I told him it was OK to stay as long as he ate any bugs that tried to move in, and while he eyed me closely as I circled the tree, he didn't bolt. The lemon in the background is not quite golf ball sized but it's getting there.

This growing lemons is a learning experience for me. When we planted the tree, I hoped for just a lemon or two. At the rate things are going, I'm going to get my wish and maybe more.

Comments

[Donna]

lucky you...you'll be having fresh squeezed lemonaide before you know it.

[Amy L]

I would be thinking lemonade, lemon meringue pie, lemon squares...yummy.