Gardening with Gael - Chinese lemon is sweet and sour

POPULAR: Native to China, the Meyer lemon is slightly sweeter, rounder, and has a thinner skin.

Until the welcome rain in the last couple of days, the only way to cope with the heat and humidity was to pick a Meyer lemon, squeeze a little into a large 500ml beer glass filled with ice and cold water, and drink at regular intervals.

There are other lemon trees I know, and the heavy skinned Lisbon is more readily available in the supermarkets because they handle well, but why would you  want anything but a Meyer? My friend Dawn has a beauty, bursting with  an abundance of fruit all year. As the last lemons of the season are falling on the ground the new fruit are swelling and ripening. This tree supplies family, friends and neighbours.

Meyer lemons are considered to be a cross between Lisbon or Eureka lemons and a mandarin which gives them the added juicy characteristic and the slightly sweeter taste. Their skins, which are thinner and easier to peel , also make them attractive to slice and use for garnishing. It is this thinner skin that makes them more difficult to transport and store, however, due to their popularity they are sometimes available in supermarkets and certainly at farmer’s markets.

When my mother died, friends from overseas asked to have one planted in the garden for her. Reasonably hardy, although I know they are difficult to grow in the South, the Meyer lemon grows well in our climate. This one is planted where it will be readily available to the kitchen when the cottage on the Block is finally built. The tree is now 5-years-old and producing well. Trained to a single trunk, I am keeping it a formal shape. When clipped the Meyer lemon is very decorative and  the plan is to have several across the front of the cottage below the verandah. They are also suitable for pots and containers which is one way of keeping them alive in a cooler climate by moving them inside during the winter.

Citrus grow in most soils but do require some water in the summer. At the cottages there are several across the edge of the croquet lawn. These trees were originally planted by the pool. I imagined sitting by the pool with a gin and a ready lemon. Sadly this was a delusion. The trees were particularly exposed to the easterlies which never allowed them to gain a good firm grip in the sand, I neglected to water them and I have never had time for the gin. After a couple of miserable seasons I transplanted them to a more sheltered place. I can tell by their leaves that they still struggle a bit but they reward me (and the guests) with a good quantity of fruit.

When the leaves of the lemon tree become a bit yellow they probably need some lime. A dressing of Epsom salts once a year is also beneficial. A friend of mine swears that when planting a new tree it is a great idea to get a shovelful of dirt from under a tree that is flourishing. I have always done it but recently I have been reading about the benefits of microorganisms and some bacteria and this is possibly a good way to introduce some. I am off to Dawn’s with my spade.