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    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home

    245.9KViews Modified: Feb 22, 2025 · Published: Feb 20, 2016
    By Jacqueline 39 Comments

    61.5K shares
    • 7.9K

    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home, little lemon trees in a tea cup

    Did you know that you can start a real, fruit-bearing indoor lemon tree in a teacup or mug?

    Typically, lemon trees flourish outdoors year-round in hot, sunny regions, but they can also thrive indoors as edible houseplants in cold-season climates.

    These miniature citrus trees can deliver a big dose of cheer to any sunny space. And it’s practically foolproof. I planted seeds in April, enjoyed watching them spring up in the windowsill, have forgotten to water them for 7-8 days at a time, and 6 months later my little lemon tree forest is luxuriously green and smells fantastic. Best of all, they bear the exciting possibility of fruit!

    And probably, you’re aware of the fact that citrus fruit are very alkalinizing as well as rich in magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and loads of vitamins.

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    The fragrant orangery at the gardens of Versailles, with more than a 1,000 carefully manicured potted plants, might be the world’s most famous showcase of citrus trees indoors or out, but you don’t need to be Marie Antoinette to harvest your own lemons at home.

    Given a sunny window, your lemon tree could bear fruit in 3-4 years. There is something extra rewarding about starting from seed. They can be germinated in the middle of winter with very little effort. Watching them grow has been an exciting and fascinating experience, and I know the best is yet to come.

    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home. Meyer lemon with a label

    You can often find a Meyer lemon in an organic food store or Whole Foods-type-grocery. I have read that organic lemons are preferred since some non-organic lemon seeds may be “duds”, incapable of germinating.

    If you want to do this, you will only need seeds, soil, and, of course, a container.

    How to grow a Lemon Tree

    Slice open your lemon and choose a seed(s) that looks completely full of life. For me it is easiest to pop them into my mouth and suck on them until all the flesh is removed and the lemon flavor is gone, or you can soak them in a glass of water for a day to remove the rest of the flesh from the seed. Keep them moist until planting.

    Put a 1/2″ of pebbles in the bottom of the cup to create drainage, and after that fill the cup with moist soil. Plant the seeds in the soil 1/2 to 3/4″ deep and cover them over. Tamp the soil firmly over the seeds.

    planting lemon seeds and sprouts

    Water the seeds and place in a warm sunny spot. You should see the beginnings of sprouts in a month to two months. Mine took every bit of two months so be patient. Just when you think nothing is happening, you see green peeking through. It is really quite exciting!

    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home, little lemon seeds sprouting 3 inches

    Time to select your Lemon Tree Seedlings and move to bigger pots 

    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home, a citrus seedling,
    (source)

    Don’t forget to mist the surface with water every 5-6 days to support their growth. Just keep them evenly moist. Don’t over-water. Until germination, you may loosely cover the cup with cling wrap, with which you will create a greenhouse effect, but take caution that you don’t cook your seeds in too hot a window. Remove cling wrap as soon as the seeds sprout.

    After 4-6 months when the seedlings are grown and getting crowded, you should choose the most beautiful and the strongest ones and transplant them into individual pots with a larger diameter. This time make sure the pot you choose has drainage holes and use a saucer. The composition of the soil should remain the same.

    Shopping

    The best choice for homegrown citrus are the dwarf varieties that prevent the tree from growing too large. Seeds for Meyer lemon, kaffir lime, and calamondin oranges can be grown as dwarves, doing well indoors, but you can also purchase a 2-3 year old plant that has a 3-year warranty!

    For a plant that will produce fruits and blossoms right away, choose a two-to three-year-old dwarf tree. Calamondin orange trees, which have a high tolerance for indoor conditions, are a good choice for beginners.

    Final tips

    Your lemon tree can become a very beautiful and luxurious house plant with the right exposure and conditions.

    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home, grow citrus indoors, a large lemon tree indoors
    (Source)

    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home, grow citrus indoors, potted lemon trees

    In early summer a lemon tree should be fertilized. I suggest feeding it an organic fertilizer if you plan to make lemonade or use the peel for zest.

    If you have a protected garden or patio, you can set the lemon tree outside and return it inside well before cold weather.

    In winter, lemons love a bright spot with 8 or more hours a day of bright sunlight in a south facing window. When conditions are right, they will produce fruit in the winter and summer.

    Water it moderately in winter, but do not allow the soil to become completely dry. If part of the leaves drop, there is no need to worry, this is normal. In the spring cut back the branches, and in a very short time new branches will grow creating a beautiful bushy crown.

    Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed in Your Own Home, a citrus tree collage

    Do you love citrus? Have you ever started any kind of seeds indoors?

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    Hi! I’m Jacqueline!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erin

      September 07, 2015 at 8:13 am

      I can’t wait to try this!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 07, 2015 at 9:03 am

        I can’t wait to have lemons! I may just cave and buy a 2-3 yo Meyer lemon tree and skip 2-3 years of waiting!
        I’ll still keep two or 3 of the young ones to give as gifts, though 🙂
        Have fun, Erin xoxo

        Reply
      • Julie Michele

        June 02, 2020 at 1:28 pm

        I love this and really want to try it! I also wanted to contact you as fellow blogger myself I’m looking for people to partake in interviews for my blog via email. If you’re interested check out the link below. I think you would be a great fit for my readers. I’d love to have you as a guest.

        https://noshwithchefjulie.com/contact/
        -Julie Michele

        Reply
        • Jacqueline

          June 02, 2020 at 10:12 pm

          Hi, Julie!
          I wish I could Julie! I am having major time management issues and also traveling to be with our daughter and her family. Meanwhile farming goes on here by our son. Busy time and my blogging schedule is so full!
          Thank you so much for thinking of me! I love your blog!!
          Blessings,
          ~Jacque

          Reply
    2. Barb S.

      September 07, 2015 at 9:58 pm

      Oh how I want to grow these, especially the calamansi oranges. I almost bought a tree several years ago, but we do not get sufficient sunlight through any of our windows. 🙁

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 08, 2015 at 7:36 pm

        Barb, I’m still learning and just found out that yo get pollination, one needs to place their tree outside so bees can work it. I’ve so much to learn! Do you have access to a rooftop there??

        Reply
    3. Jill York

      September 07, 2015 at 10:36 pm

      These trees are beautiful! I bought an actual lemon tree once and it never produced fruit. I’d like to give it another shot and take better care of it this time. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 08, 2015 at 7:38 pm

        Jill, see Janet’s comment…I would love to try both letting the bees have their way and hand-pollination! I wish you well, gardening friend!
        Blessings!

        Reply
    4. Charlotte Moore

      September 08, 2015 at 2:12 am

      How neat is this!! Would love to have one like the bottom picture. Loaded little trees!!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 08, 2015 at 7:40 pm

        Me, too, Charlotte! I’m going to buy a Meyer lemon and also keep several of the ones i have growing now…will set both out side for a time…we have 2 hives so maybe we’ll get some fruit to set.. will see. They are the prettiest things, for sure!
        Hugs and love to you <3

        Reply
    5. Kim Smith

      September 08, 2015 at 7:10 am

      I would love to try this, but I have questions. How is the tree pollinated if indoors? Do they need more than one tree to cross pollinate? Those small loaded down with lemon trees are so happy looking!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 08, 2015 at 7:43 pm

        Kim, I just read Janet’s comment. So glad she told us, huh? I hadn’t gotten that far 😉 I’m going to do both and see what we get 🙂 Enjoy the challenge 🙂

        Reply
    6. Janet

      September 08, 2015 at 2:12 pm

      The last photo is of grafted trees (not started from seeds, but from cuttings of the variety you want grafted into the root stalk). You can tell by the difference in the trunk of the tree and the shoot off to the side. Citrus started from seed will not be the exact same fruit as it came from (if they fruit at all). When the flower is pollinated the bees mix up the DNA and the seeds in the resulting fruit will not be true (just as all your kids don’t look alike). Buying the tree you want is the best way to get a fruit-bearing tree. You’ll have to put it outside for pollination, or hand-pollinate it in order for it to bear. I don’t think it needs a different variety for cross-pollination, though. I have four citrus trees (dwarf and full-sized) growing in the ground in a greenhouse. It still took several years for them to bare and they do like regular feedings and waterings spring through fall. Good luck!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 08, 2015 at 7:44 pm

        Thanks, Janet! I didn’t even think of that even though I have when planting elderberries, currants, blueberries, etc! Duh! So glad you shared your expertise, friend!!

        Reply
        • Jaimini

          June 29, 2020 at 10:06 am

          My husband gifted me a Meyer Lemon tree- 12” , in August 2019. It had 2 lemons on it. They were green and took 4 months before turning yellow. I took it inside for the winter, it flowered twice with no fruits. Now outside, it does not seem to grow. Very few leaves and some bare branches. The guy at the nursery said to repot it in a larger container, so I did. No change yet 😩. I’ve been so excited to grow my own lemons….what am I doing wrong.
          I also seeded some mini limes I brought from CA 5 yrs ago. The tree is 4’ tall. It flowered first time this winter. I have pruned the middle branches for good air flow, so I am hopeful this year🤞🏼
          Please advise about what to do with the Meyer lemon plant. What fertilizer is best, etc.
          Sorry for the long post .

          Reply
          • Jacqueline

            June 29, 2020 at 2:15 pm

            Hi, Jaimini!
            It sounds to me you are doing everything well. If your Meyer lemon plant hasn’t picked up a mite or a pest from outside, and you have already repotted it, I would look at the amount of sun and water you are giving it. I would hesitate to fertilize it without talking first to the nursery you bought it from, bc some of them come already with enough fetilizer for a good while, and you could over fertilize it with out that information.

            I love that you are growing the mini lime tree! 4 feet is awesome!
            I hope that helps! Keep up the good work.
            Blessings,
            ~Jacque

            Reply
    7. JES

      September 12, 2015 at 7:31 am

      Great idea Jacqueline 🙂 I will be trying this!

      Reply
    8. Katie B.

      September 12, 2015 at 1:24 pm

      Oh my goodness, I paid almost $90 a piece for two Meyer lemon trees last summer. Neither bore fruit, and both dropped all of their leaves then died within a month. I have a good track record with houseplants and gardening, so I was very upset to have spent so much money. Now I’m going to try growing lemons indoors again, but for less than a dollar thanks to this!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 12, 2015 at 2:28 pm

        Haha! Hope they will bear for you, Katie B! I’m ready to separate my starts! Just need to find the right pots 🙂

        Reply
    9. JES

      September 14, 2015 at 6:49 am

      This is such a neat idea. I have featured it today on the Art of Home-Making Mondays 🙂

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 14, 2015 at 11:12 am

        Thanks so much, JES! I am really enjoying my little trees 🙂

        Reply
    10. Amber Harrop

      October 16, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      I keep meaning to try this after all I am an Organic gardener !!

      Reply
    11. sally pugh

      October 18, 2017 at 1:05 pm

      im trying to grow lemon seeds. but it has not worked yet. what should I do?

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        October 18, 2017 at 2:40 pm

        Hi, Sally!!
        You should see the beginnings of little seedlings in a month to two months. Mine took every bit of two months so be patient. Just when you think nothing is happening, you see green peeking through. It is really quite exciting!
        I hope that helps 🙂

        Reply
    12. Sharon Quaife

      September 04, 2019 at 10:57 am

      I so LOVE your blog… love spending time here! It is always very informative and interesting as well! Thank You!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 04, 2019 at 11:31 am

        Thank you, Sharon! That makes me feel loved to know that, friend! Hugs, J

        Reply
    13. Martin

      November 08, 2019 at 8:24 am

      Hello Jacqueline, read your articles and was encouraged.I have a Lemon tree that I grew by seed and it will be one year old in December, I love the waxy leaves it produces, and it is very pretty.

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        November 08, 2019 at 12:40 pm

        Martin, wait until it is 3 years old and you may get fruit! Lemons! 😀

        Reply
    14. christy

      December 16, 2019 at 1:35 pm

      We brought back seeds from our friend’s citrus trees in California. Cannot wait to get them started! I am grateful to learn from others about pollinating. I will place them outside this summer. We attract lots of bees at our herb garden so that should help tremendously!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        December 17, 2019 at 12:49 am

        Christy, I am excited for you! I think it’s super neat that your seed are from a friend’s tree! ~J

        Reply
    15. Candice

      March 29, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      Hi
      I have been growing trees from seed but I seem to have the same issue every time. They get to about two inches tall and then
      Stop growing. Any suggestions on what I can do?thanks for any information.

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        March 29, 2020 at 4:52 pm

        Candice, my guess is 2 things: At 2″ tall, the roots are also 2″ down in the soil, so they need to be able to develop a deeper rot system than a tea cup or very small pot will provide – so move to a bigger pot. But an even bigger need would be sunlight. They natural grow in a southern climate, and so need a really good amount of sunlight..like a south or west facing window, I hope that helps!!
        Blessings, ~Jacque

        Reply
    16. Laura

      June 11, 2020 at 12:26 pm

      I loved your post, thank you for sharing. I have a question: after the seedlings have grown well enough, and you choose the best ones, do each of the seedlings go in a separate/individual pot, or can you put more than one in the same pot?

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        June 11, 2020 at 9:09 pm

        Hi, Laura! I have chosen 3 before to put in one pot and see which one or 2 would thrive. I think 3 together are lovely, but so is one! Enjoy!
        ~Jacqueline

        Reply
    17. Marija

      August 02, 2020 at 12:13 pm

      I have planted lemon trees just as you described there and currently have 5 little seedlings 😀 They have been in my balcony from the start and seem to have thrived – the seedlings have appeared in a matter of weeks! The balcony is in the sun in the morning, up to arround noon, and then it is in the shade. Perhaps this could come as useful info for some of you guys.
      Good luck to all of us gardeners! 🙂 🙂

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        August 02, 2020 at 1:52 pm

        Marija, yes, the shade in the afternoon is perfect for small containers so they don’t dry up or burn the seedlings. Great encouragement! Thank you!

        Reply
    18. Doris Ciantar

      March 21, 2021 at 10:55 am

      Why is my lemon tree has no juice.
      Tks
      Doris

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        March 21, 2021 at 12:09 pm

        Doris, is your lemon tree bearing lemons?

        Reply

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