Grow a Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree in a Container

Living in an apartment, the thing we miss most is having a garden. So we make due with containers, which turns out to be a lot of fun. The most rewarding? Growing our own lemon tree on the balcony...

We got a dwarf tree because it would stay small enough to fit in a container without cramping the roots. We opted for the Meyer lemon because of it's hardiness and its slightly sweeter taste (it's a cross between a lemon and an orange). But nothing prepared us for how much we would love smelling the citrus blossoms in the spring. They're lovely and the yellow bursts of fruit perk us up whenever we take the time to notice them. Ours is only about a foot and a half high and produces around 10 lemons a season. We just make sure to give it some citrus food, make sure the soil drains well and give it tons of sunlight.

You can buy a Dwarf Meyer lemon at most nurseries. Check out our archive of great nurseries in LA. Or if you want to drive, check out the Green Arrow nursery in Northridge--great prices and great selection.

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Comments (8)

That would be "make do" (not "due").

I was looking to grow meyer lemons but, seeing as how I don't have balcony space, I'll just have to "make do" with what I have. Luckily I've read that they can do well indoors if they receive enough light. Pruning the plants while they are young encourages the branches to grow more densely and more capable of bearing the weight of the fruit while keeping the tree just the right size for an apartment. After reading this article though, I am a little concerned the scent will be overbearing/dominating in a confined area. Luckily citrus is such a clean smell.

I grew a miniature orange tree in a range of sunny (and not so sunny) windows for six years (then I had to toss it when the woman that gave it to me dumped me) but it blossomed beautifully each year and I used the three dozen or so sour oranges for great gin drinks. I highly recommend getting a miniature citrus. (and pruning it every year as jick says).

Thanks allisonlindsay. I was wondering if you could grow citrus indoors! I just wonder if I could even find one out here in upstate NY. I want to get an indoor shrub/tree that I can put outside in the summertime.

Mine dwarf orange has been dropping its leaves for the past few weeks AND flowering. I think it is stressed. No idea why! It is indoors in my Boston apartment.

I tried to grow a dwarf Meyer in a large container on my sunny porch but it got attacked by these weird grubs. They would use a secure-ish (slightly curled under) part of the leaves to spin a little cocoon into and then the grub in the cocoon would eat the leaf to its maturity. I'm guessing all of this. But I wasn't able to keep up with the insect attacks and now there is just a stump with dry twigs sitting on my porch. Maybe I'll try it indoors this time. I wouldn't mind the smell of lemon blossoms, it's one of my favorites.

We have a drawf orange tree on our patio and it smells amazing right now! But it would definitely be overpowering indoors, hoooo! We have a dwarf lime in the ground. It's an adorable tree and a mega lime producer!

We planted a full size lemon tree before we knew better. We have tons of lemons but the poor guy has no room.

can someone give tips on how to care for these? I just bought 2 of them, and I have a notorious BLACK THUMB!!!