There is nothing quite so refreshing as the fragrance of lemons as you slice through their yellow skin. Lemons are a very popular fruit tree for those of us who in zones 8 and above and their lush green foliage and yellow fruit add beauty to the garden.
If you have been thinking of adding a lemon tree to your landscape, March is the best time of year to plant new citrus in the garden as it gives them time to become established before the heat of summer arrives.
I am often asked about what type of lemon is best for the garden. My personal choice is Meyer lemon for a number of reasons. You may have heard of this type of lemon tree, but what you may not know is that it isn’t a ‘true’ lemon – it’s actually a naturally occurring hybrid of a lemon and ‘Mandarin’ orange. This results in a pseudo-lemon that is sweeter and less acidic than true lemons such as ‘Eureka’ and ‘Lisbon’.
See why you should consider planting a Meyer lemon tree in your backyard in my latest article for Houzz.com. (Click on the photo below to read the article).
*What type of lemon tree to you grow?
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Meyer_lemon_Arizona.jpg12001098arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2017-03-18 13:03:322022-10-08 03:49:18March is the Perfect Time for Planting a Meyer Lemon Tree
One of the things that I enjoy about living in the Southwest is the ability to garden throughout the year. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration – I don’t especially like gardening in July or August. During those months, I simply like to view my garden out the window from the air-conditioned comfort of my home. But, you’ll often see me outside spending January in the vegetable garden through the winter months.
So far, this year’s cool-season garden hasn’t been very impressive. In fact, it was quite disappointing. Our drip irrigation system wasn’t watering this particular vegetable bed well because the tiny holes had become clogged from mineral deposits left behind by our notorious hard water. As a result, a handful of romaine lettuce transplants survived, but none of the seeds that I planted in early October germinated except for the radishes and a couple of carrots.
To make it worse, when I discovered the problem last fall, I was so busy trying to keep up with my landscape consulting that I didn’t fix the irrigation troubles. Spring and fall for horticulturists is much like tax season for accountants, and little else gets done.
Well, I felt bad looking out at my sad little vegetable bed, so I cleared my calendar to give it a little TLC earlier this week. First on the list was to pull out the lettuce plants, which had bolted and were ready to be taken out. I was able to get a few radishes, much to the delight of my youngest daughter who loves them.
Before planting, I added a 4-inch layer of compost to help refresh the soil. There wasn’t any need to mix it in with the existing soil – in fact, it’s better if you don’t do that.
Like many people, I find working out in the garden therapeutic and the stresses of day to day life simply melt away. What made this day even better was that my husband came out to help me. At this point, I should mention that he isn’t one of those men who loves to work out in the garden. Oh, he does a great job at it, but he doesn’t like it – at all. Poor guy, he had no idea that the woman he married 30 years ago would turn out to be a plant lady who lives, eats, and breathes all things related to the garden.
My darling husband took an entire morning out of his busy schedule to help me in the garden, fixing the drip irrigation system in my garden. Forget flowers, if spending a morning out in your wife’s vegetable garden fixing irrigation doesn’t shout “I love you,” I don’t know what does.
The drip irrigation system in my vegetable garden is made up of a main poly drip line that runs up the center of the garden. Micro-tubing, with small holes along the length, are then looped along the length of the main drip line. We pulled out the old micro-tubing and replaced it.
Once the irrigation repair was finished, it was time to add plants. Luckily, there is still plenty of time to plant cool-season favorites. To get a head start, I bought romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, and spinach transplants. The rest I would grow from seed. Irish Eyes Garden Seeds is one of my favorite seed companies.
Another seed company who I have used over the years is Burpee. I remember perusing my dad’s Burpee seed catalog when I was a child and planning on which ones I would order for the little plot of land that he gave me in the back garden.
I still order seeds from Burpee and was pleasantly surprised to receive a gift from them this Christmas – an advent calendar where each door opened up to a seed packet filled with one of their new 2017 plant introductions. What an ingenious marketing tool! Every morning, I felt like a kid again waiting to see what new seeds I would find behind the door.
I selected ‘Dragon Tail’ radish, where you eat its purple seed pods and NOT the roots. It is a version of an Asian heirloom radish and has a more delicate flavor than regular radishes. I am very excited to see what this one does in my garden. ‘Rido Red’ radish and ‘Bend and Snap’ snap peas also found a spot in the garden.
Marigolds and nasturtiums are always present alongside cool-season vegetables as they attract beneficial pollinators, discourage harmful insect pests, and just make the garden look pretty. Imagine my delight when I saw new varieties of my favorite flowers in the advent calendar. ‘Strawberry Blonde’ marigolds and ‘Orange Troika’ nasturtiums will add welcome beauty to my vegetable bed. There were other seeds in the calendar that I plan on using including ‘Bend and Snap’ snap peas. I plan on giving some of my seeds to my mother for her garden. Burpee has a list of their new 2017 introductions, which you can access here. I’d love to hear if you grow any of them.
Next to the vegetable garden is my young ‘Meyer’ lemon tree. We planted it two years ago, and this is its first ever fruit. Young citrus trees can take a year or two, after planting, before it produces fruit and I look forward to years of delicious fruit from mine.
Meyer lemons aren’t true lemons. They are a cross between a regular lemon and mandarin orange, and this gives them a sweeter flavor and a deep yellow skin. The story behind Meyer lemons includes overseas exploration, threatened extinction, and Martha Stewart.
Well, that is what is happening in the January vegetable garden. What is growing in your winter garden?
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/cool_season_vegetable_transplants_Arizona.jpg12001200arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2017-01-14 15:02:162022-10-09 00:45:10January in the Vegetable Garden
Do you have a lemon or other type of citrus tree growing in your backyard?
Chances are, if you live in California, the Southwest or Southeastern United States, you do or your neighbor does.
While many people throughout the rest of the nation are waiting for snow to disappear, we get to enjoy the sight of colorful citrus fruit hanging from our trees, just ready to be picked and enjoyed.
During this time of year, neighbors give bags of excess fruit to neighbors or local food banks.
I have a young lemon tree, that isn’t old enough to produce fruit for me, but that hasn’t stopped me from having lemons to use.
Between my mother’s prolific lemon tree on the family farm to those from my vet (who happens to be our neighbor), I have plenty to use.
I’ve used lemons in a variety of ways from freezing the zest, the juice, making citrus cleaner, natural air fresheners and was looking for another way to use them.
I recently learned about lemon salt and how great it tastes on my favorite dishes – chicken, fish, homemade salad dressings, salsa and much more – basically anything that you want to add a hint of citrus and salt too.
Making lemon salt is very easy to do and can be done using grapefruit, limes, or oranges instead.
Citrus salts make a great homemade gift and are also a great way to preserve the taste of your favorite citrus when they are no longer in season.
Whether you grow your own lemons or buy them from the store, lemon salt is easy to make.
1. You’ll need 3 lemons and 1 cup of kosher salt.
2. Zest 3 lemons.
3. Add together 1 cup kosher salt, the lemon zest and the juice from 1 lemon.
(Of course, you can make a lot more, like I did – I had a lot of lemons and wanted to make some as gifts.)
4. Mix together the lemon juice, salt and zest.
5. Pour the lemon salt mixture into a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet.
6. Place in a 200 degree F. oven for a half hour. Then lightly mix it up and bake for another 20 minutes.
(If it hasn’t dried all the way, cover it with a clean dish towel and let sit overnight.)
7. Use your fingers to break up any large clumps or you can put it in your food processor and pulse it 2 – 3 times.
That’s it! I told you it was easy. You can use it right away or store it in a sealed jar to keep it for longer.
Lemon or salts made from other citrus fruit last a long time – at least a year if put in a sealed container.
If you love lemon pepper, you can simply add pepper to the mixture for a delicious addition to your steak!
I’ve been enjoying making flavored salts for cooking with. Last year, I made basil and herb salts, which were delicious too!
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/RipeLemonsDSF-1.jpg1200900arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2015-02-13 14:00:002022-10-29 23:19:37Got Lemons? Make Your Own DIY Citrus Salt
I really do, except in August. That’s when I start to tire of the long, hot summer and yearn for fall. By September, the days begin to shorten and the weather begins to cool and I plant my cool-season vegetable garden.
One of the things that I love most about gardening in the desert Southwest is that you can grow fruit and vegetables all year long – even in the midst of winter when most of the country can only dream of growing things outdoors.
Where else can you look outside and see delicious vegetables coming up and picking them fresh for your table in January?
desert Southwest winter garden
Oh, and how about the citrus fruit that not only provides us with sweet, tart fruit – but also adds bright color to our desert gardens?
Over the next few days, I thought that I’d share with you what I have harvested from my winter garden in hopes that you will be inspired to grow your own desert Southwest winter garden.
Even if you don’t live in a mild winter area, growing vegetables is not all that different in other regions, except for the calendar. So, you can always pick up some helpful tips from vegetable gardeners who live in other places.
Tomorrow, I’ll share my first-ever success in growing a vegetable that has given me problems in the past.
***********************
Baby Watch Update:
Our second-oldest daughter, Rachele, is expecting her first child soon! She is in the Navy and currently stationed in California – about 7 hours away from us.
She is being monitored closely because of the baby’s low birth weight and now the latest ultrasound shows a lower level of amniotic fluid.
Rachele has been seeing having weekly ultrasounds, stress tests and seeing the doctor. On her last visit, she was told that they may have to induce her maybe a week early.
So, what does that mean for me and my husband? Well, I had to reschedule a speaking engagement on “Updating Your Landscape”.
Our plan is to hit the road as soon as we get the call from her that she is being induced and/or in labor. Hopefully, we will get there before the baby does!
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/desertwintervegetablegarden-1.jpg8991200arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2015-01-07 18:17:002021-01-05 11:52:20Winter Harvest From a Desert Vegetable Garden
I have spent the past few weeks indoors whenever possible avoiding the desert heat. While I do venture outdoors occasionally to do consults and take a weekly tour of the garden to make sure everything is okay.
We did lose a small tree and some branches during a fierce monsoon storm over the weekend, but I was grateful for the rain and the cool temperatures that followed.
Last week, I showed you some of my favorite plant photos. This week, I would like to share with you some of my favorite DIY blog posts, most of which you can do inside.
One of my favorite DIY projects was creating natural air-fresheners.
I don’t know about you, but I do not like the heavy, artificial smells of air-freshener sprays – not to mention the idea of chemicals floating through the air. So, the idea of making air-fresheners using plants definitely appealed to me.
Last week, I was visiting one of my favorite clients when I noticed that one of her citrus trees was showing signs of sunburn, which led to me explaining to her that even citrus trees need sunscreen to prevent sunburn in many cases.
Recognizing Sunburn Symptoms
You can see the lighter-colored bark and some cracks as well along the branch. It turns out that citrus trees are very susceptible to sunburn.
Why Sunburned Citrus Trees Are a Concern
So, why is a sunburned citrus tree something to be worried about?
Well, when a tree becomes sunburned, it often forms cracks in the bark and within these cracks, damaging insects or fungus can find a nice home. Frost damage can also cause cracks in the bark.
In recent years, I have had to deliver bad news to people whose citrus trees became infected with sooty canker, which is a fungal disease that affects the branches and trunks, which takes root underneath the cracked, flaky bark.
Managing and Protecting Your Citrus Trees
Several times, I have had to tell homeowners that their much-loved citrus tree was badly infected with sooty canker and had to be removed. You can read more about the signs and treatment of sooty canker, here. Citrus can have many types of concerns. Sunburn is a concern as well, but you can protect your trees.
Preventing Sunburn; Citrus Trees Need Sunscreen
Thankfully, there are things we can do to reduce or eliminate the chance of sunburn to our citrus trees. Citrus trees need sunscreen.
1. Encourage Lower Branch Growth
Allow citrus trees to grow their lower branches. They will help to shade the trunk. A bonus for citrus trees grown this way is that the most fruit is produced on the lower branches that also tastes sweeter.
2. Use Protective Measures
Protect exposed trunks and branches by using citrus paint (available at your local nursery) or by simply mixing white latex paint water so that the resulting mixture is 1/2 paint and 1/2 water. You can also purchase tree wraps made from burlap, which can also help to protect them. Avoid using oil-based paint.
However, if you allow the lower branches of your citrus tree to grow and the trunk is shaded, than you don’t have to paint them.
3. Prune Wisely
Don’t over-prune your citrus trees. The photo above, is an EXTREME example of what not to do.
Citrus trees should be pruned in March, and concentrated on removing dead, diseased or crossing branches. Avoid pruning more then 20% of its foliage in any given year. Remember, that the leaves make food for the tree, which will in turn, produce delicious fruit. If pruning leaves you with exposed branches, then coat them with citrus paint.
**See how to protect citrus from the damaging effects of a heat wave – here.
A little note about sun exposure: I always wear sunscreen whenever I venture outdoors. Years spent in California at the beach as a teenager, trying to tan my fair skin did not work. Now, I try very hard to protect my skin from the desert sun. I do however, often forget to wear my hat as it does mess up my hair 😉
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Protect_Citrus_From_Sunburn.jpg800800arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-03-12 17:43:002023-09-18 14:32:08Even Citrus Trees Need Sunscreen to Prevent Sunburn
Well, it is that time of year again, when citrus trees are full of fruit and that includes the lemon tree at Double S Farms.
Growing up in California, we always had a lemon tree in the backyard and I kind of took them for granted. Then I grew up and moved into my first house in Arizona, which didn’t have a lemon tree although we did have grapefruit and oranges.
I love lemon trees and will maybe plant one in our side garden next year.
You know who else likes lemon trees….. Jose, the migrating hummingbird. Jose is a Costa’s Hummingbird and he is quite tame, letting us approach him fairly closely to take pictures. You can read more about Jose here.
Okay, back to lemons…..I am so thankful that my mother and sister are very generous with their lemons and I frequently have more lemons then I know what to do with.
*By the way, it is time to fertilize your citrus trees, if you have not already done so this year.
In order to make the lemon harvest last longer this year in my kitchen, I filled ice cube trays with lemon juice and then put them in a ziploc bag that I keep in the freezer. So, when I need a little lemon juice for a recipe, I just grab an ice cube or two.
I also zested the lemons and have also frozen that as well. So, I am well prepared for cooking.
You can learn how to freeze lemon juice and zest, here.
Another thing that you can do with your lemons is to make natural air fresheners. They really do scent the air without having to use ‘air-fresheners’ made from chemicals. You can learn how to make your own, here.
Each year, my mother (Pastor Farmer), makes a delicious lemon cream pie. It is very light and just so yummy. She graciously wrote out the recipe so that I could share it with all of you.
I hope you enjoy it!
CITRUS MOUSSE
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Two 12 oz. containers of whipped topping (Cool Whip)
One 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
Beat together whipped topping and sweetened condensed milk. Then add the lemon and grapefruit juice.
Pour into graham cracker pie crust and chill for at least 2 hours.
*This pie can be frozen and you can substitute more lemon juice for the grapefruit juice if desired.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Hummingbird-Lemon-tree-3-2.jpg640640arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-02-18 14:30:002021-01-15 11:03:32The Many Uses for Lemons and a Little Feathered Friend
This past week, I was blessed with harvesting produce from two different gardens.
One was from one of my vegetable gardens…
Harvesting produce
About a 1/4 of my side vegetable garden is planted with cauliflower.
Over the weekend, I was able to harvest my first cauliflower of the season.
Now, I am aware that some of you may not care for cauliflower. Personally, I like it raw but NOT when it is cooked.
I’ll share with you a little secret that I have used to get my kids to eat cauliflower…
I cut the tops of the florets off, dice it and then sprinkle it on top of our dinner salads. It looks like grated cheese. I also slice carrots, celery and cucumbers to add to our salads, which not only add great flavor to salads – they are also a great way to get more vegetables into my kids 😉
The cauliflower was so delicious – it tasted like butter – seriously.
The next harvest was of another kind and from a different garden…
On the family farm, my mother has a large grapefruit tree.
Now, as anyone who has ever had a grapefruit tree can tell you – these trees are overly generous in the amount of fruit that they produce.
Luckily, my mother has 4 kids who are more then happy to help share with her bounty.
With my husband standing ready holding grocery bags, we picked some delicious fruit from the tree.
*While all the grapefruit looked ripe, some were not quite ready to be picked. If they did not come off fairly easily when lightly pulled/twisted, then we left them alone.
If I am going to be perfectly honest with you, I do not like to eat grapefruit – at all.
But, I have another purpose in mind for my newly picked grapefruit – I am going to make a natural cleaner from it using vinegar.
I promise to blog about it soon, so hold onto some of your excess grapefruit or maybe offer to take some off of your neighbor’s grapefruit tree 🙂
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/harvest_cauliflower_vegetable_garden.jpg14951600arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-01-27 16:48:002021-01-16 05:07:34A Harvest from Two Gardens…
Today, was a very special day in the garden and it took almost 2 years to reach this date.
Today marks the first harvest from our young orange tree.
When planting trees, it is best to dig them 3x as wide as the rootball to allow roots an easier time to grow outward. However, plant at the same depth as the root ball.
Back in February of 2012, we bought our first citrus tree for our edible side garden.
Years ago in our first home in Phoenix, we had large, mature citrus trees. My two oldest daughters (then 9 and 4 years old) would climb up into our grapefruit tree. We also had orange and lemon trees on our flood irrigated lot near 48th Street and Thomas.
I’m not sure why it took us so long to plant an orange tree in our current home. But, our youngest kids loved picking oranges from their grandparent’s blood orange tree. So, shortly after the birth of our granddaughter, I decided it was time to plant one in our garden.
My youngest daughter and son were anxious to help plant their very own orange tree under the guidance of their older sister.
I explained to the kids that it would take a few years to see any fruit form on our new tree. So, we settled ourselves in for a long wait.
The first year, we did see orange blossoms form, but no fruit set. This is normal for a newly planted tree, so I wasn’t surprised.
Last fall, were thrilled to discover oranges forming on our tree.
I must admit that it was hard to be patient at this point. I couldn’t wait for them to start turning orange.
My husband kept asking me when it was time to pick the new oranges. I explained (more then once) that they had to come off easily when lightly pulled and twisted at the same time.
*Citrus does not continue to ripen and get sweeter after picked. So it is best to leave them on the tree until they are ready to be picked.
Some varieties of orange will have a little green color on their skin like Valencia oranges. However, Navel oranges should be mostly orange before picking.
Today, I decided was the day to pick our new oranges. My granddaughter was here and ready to help.
She needed a little help, but they did come off fairly easily.
While our harvest was quite small, I don’t think we will ever enjoy the taste of a fresh orange more then this one that took 2 years of waiting.
The variety of orange that we planted is called ‘Arizona Sweet’, which is great for both juice and eating in sections.
To make the most of our small harvest, I will make orange vinaigrette dressing for our salad tonight. But before I juice the oranges, I will take the orange zest and freeze it for later use, which is an easy way to extend your citrus harvest. I have done this before with lemons harvested from my mother’s large lemon tree. To learn how, click here.
Do you have citrus in your garden? What kind(s) do you grow?
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_2697-1.jpg12001600arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2014-01-08 19:32:002021-01-16 06:49:33First Harvest – 2 Years In The Making…
Freezing temperatures are coming tonight and forecast to last for the next several days.
Take a drive down the street in your neighborhood, you will probably see landscape plants covered with assorted sheets, towels or frost cloth.
Those that don’t protect their frost-sensitive plants such as lantana, bougainvillea, yellow bells, orange jubilee or hibiscus will soon have plants that look like this…
In most cases, you do not have to cover your frost-sensitive plants when temps dip into the lower 30’s.
There is nothing wrong with allowing the top growth of your ornamental plants to get frost damage. You just prune it away in spring.
For those of you who don’t like the look of frost-damage, then you will need to protect your plants from the cold.
**If temperatures are predicted to dip into the 20’s – then I do recommend protecting them from frost because temps this cold can kill a plant.
I wrote a blog post earlier this year when temps hit the low 20’s. It talks about how to protect plants from frost (and how NOT to) along with the types of plants to protect.
I hope you are having a great week. I must confess to being a little behind on writing blog posts this month with all the Christmas goings on 🙂
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Frost-Protection-4.jpg372640arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2013-12-06 01:12:002021-01-16 10:17:55How to Protect Plants From Frost
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