Well am I ever lucky today to come across this site! I can tell already there is lots of information available here. I am wondering if anyone can recommend a "beginner" citrus, was hoping in the lemon family. I will keep on reading, thanks for any help I can get!

You can start with Improved Meyer Lemon on ultradwarf rootstock for container growing.

Lemons have many uses.

Whooopsie, I was going to say anything BUT Meyers LOL. It seems that more people have problems with it than other citrus, but that could be because more people have them.

I think my Meyer is the grumpiest of mine too. Its OK, but was looking quite sad until I flushed the medium recently.

Key lime from seed has been, so far, super easy. and theyre practially free. I wouldnt want a Ponderosa lemon because I couldnt use all that lemon at once, im sure its great for bakers. I had never had a Meyer lemon till recently, and they taste a bit funny to me, make sure you like the flavor before you invest in one

welcome, good luck!

You can follow the advise of not starting out with Meyer lemons. I would really have wanted to say Calamondins, but most people here don't use it like Benny and I do.

I find that Meyer lemons in a pot are the easiest to take care of and can be pruned properly to become productive and beautiful tree in a pot, but then again without meaning to be proud or boastful, I am not an average beginner at growing citruses, so it would be unfair to recommend this to someone who is just starting, my apologies.

If not lemons, then Calamondins would be good, and search this forum for various uses of Calamondins.

I would not recomend a Meyer Lemon for your first tree. Calamondin, as Joe Real recommends, really are very easy to grow, however, they produce very small fruits and I hate their taste. I would recommend either an Eureka Lemon, or a Lisbon Lemon. The Eureka and Lisbon are the lemons that you commonly see in the supermarket. By looking at them you would probably not be able to tell them apart. They are easy to grow, and have a big advantage over most all other citrus. The advantage, is that they flower and fruit all year long, instead of just in the spring. You will be able to pick lemons every month of the year. They also grow and fruit under slightly lower temperatures. - Milllet

I started a couple of Yrs ago with a meyers and then a sickly looking lisbon .. the Meyers is the one that died on me and the lisbon is lookng awesome .. Id get both for beginners if i was to start someone out on citrus .. in fact i just helped a lady pick out a beautiful Meyers lemon at out Local Nursery...and sent her here threw email grins ..
Some of the lemons are hard to get ahold of so ask your Nursery or grower they might know where to get one ? Where do you plan on buying your lemon I know the list has a special grower here we buy from ..
Tammy


Edited .. Just joan what are your plans for your fruit ?
some lemons are great for baking and are not as good for seafood..
some great for seafood and not baking .. my fav for baking is the Meyers and for seafood lisbon.. to me even thow there both lemons its like apples and oranges ..

I'd start with a Eureka or Lisbon lemon if you really want a lemon for your first tree.

A Key lime is a good choice too.

I like Meyers but like everyone elses experiences I'd have to say they are the fussiest things for container growing. Sort of fussy in the ground too, for me at least.

.....Alan.

I would probably use the lemons in baking and for Ice Tea. I love the fact that you can start trees from seed. I have always heard that they may not produce fruit and if they do it may or may not be the same as the fruit the seeds came from. I have experimented with this process and have 3. 2 year old seedlings from Honeybell Tangerines at home that I started here at work. I also have 3 chermoya trees about the same age, growing here at work, but I think they need to go home and be repotted and experience some outdoor sunshine, instead of this 24hr flourescent stuff. We used to have a guy here who loved exotic fruit and was studying to be a botanist and I love plants so... I would just love to get a tree now that is of fruit bearing age, but need to keep reading and learning. Since citrus are not a normal choice for a plant here in Minnesota, is there a mail order person that could be recommended?

There is a forum here for mail order citrus..lists a lot of good places.

I like limequat for a container plant with sour fruit. Lakeland is good. I have started growing some Harvey lemons and I think they might work better in a pot than Myer. They seem to do fine on their own roots but might do better on FD in a pot. They also seem hardier than Myer.

Calamondin, all kumquats, and I would think, Satsuma on FD sould do ok. I have had some Sats in large nursery pots for 4 or 5 years.

A lot depends on individual taste.

Ned

Thank you for all the replies, will continue to monitor and learn!!