Time to pick the Meyer lemons

I confess to neglecting my poor Meyer lemon tree, and it is time to get around to finally harvesting this season's crop a bit late. I have a smaller crop than last year, and this may be for several reasons. The most obvious one is that I may need to repot the plant into a larger pot. We are not allowed to plant trees into the ground here in this community garden which is perfectly fine with me. Citrus requires a more acidic soil, and having the tree in a pot allows me to customize the soil.

But to be honest, perhaps the real reason why I have a smaller crop is that I have been less faithful in fertilizing it this last season. My usual schedule has been once a month, and this has fallen on the wayside the last half year.

I find it handy to have a Meyer lemon tree around. Although my lemons are on the smaller side, that's perfect for most recipes. I use Meyer lemons in my favorite Turkish rice recipe.

Meyer lemon very pretty

Though I still have ripening fruit on my dwarf Meyer lemon, I'm relieved to see buds and blossoms finally developing. 

Meyer lemon fruit and flowers

As we approach the summer solstice, my Meyer lemon has decided to begin a second round of flowering, although laden with developing fruits from the first go-round. That's absolutely fine with me because I do love the smell of lemon flowers. I wish it would bloom all year, in fact. I take care to generously fertilize my potted Meyer lemon each month, regardless.

Meyer lemon, just about to bloom

My Meyer lemon sits in a pot, as does my blueberries. Here are new buds just waiting to open up.
Family Rutaceae, Citrus x meyeri

First Meyer lemon bloom

My first Meyer lemon bloom sits, just waiting to be noticed by our wild urban bees.

Family: Rutaceae, Citrus X meyeri

Budding Meyer lemon

Now that we have passed the spring equinox, it seems as a magic signal told many of my plants to go ahead and get started. Following its cue, my Meyer lemon, which sits potted, sprouted a new set of leaves along with a few flower buds. I know my photo here seems quite unimpressive but I'm thrilled to see new growth. I'm looking forward to the smell of lemon flowers. In the background to the left are the linarias. The pots in the background are home to my blueberry plants.

Family: Rutaceae, Citrus X meyeri