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Fruit tree
Lemon
Citrus × limon
Adelaide's classic backyard fruit tree, giving lemons most of the year. Plant in full sun with free drainage and shelter from strong wind. Citrus are hungry and shallow-rooted: feed in late winter and late summer, water deeply in summer and keep grass and mulch clear of the trunk.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing400 cm apart
- FrostHandles light frost
- HeatHandles heat well
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add lemon to my gardenVarieties (3)
- EurekaAlmost thornless and crops through much of the year; the most common backyard lemon
- LisbonVigorous and thorny but tougher in heat, wind and frost; main winter crop
- MeyerLemon-mandarin hybrid; sweeter, juicier fruit on a compact tree; good in pots
Neighbours
Grows well with
From seed to plate
Plant
400 cm apart. Full sun.
Water
Deep watering weekly in summer.
Feed
Citrus food in late winter and late summer.
Pick
Pick ripe fruit as needed.
Good to know
- Water deeply once or twice a week in summer rather than sprinkling daily
- Leave fruit on the tree; lemons store well hanging
- Pick off flowers and fruit for the first year or two so young trees build size
Common problems
- Citrus gall wasp (swellings on twigs)cut off and destroy galls before late spring when wasps emerge
- Yellow leavesoften hunger or wet feet; feed with a citrus fertiliser and check drainage
- Scale and sooty mouldcontrol the ants that farm them; use horticultural oil following label directions
- Collar rotkeep mulch and soil off the trunk; don't over-water heavy soils
- Citrus leaf miner (silvery trails on new leaves)tolerate on mature trees; use horticultural oil on new growth following label directions
If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.
Guides
Safety: Mildly toxic to pets and children (leaves, peel).
Where this information comes from
- ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, medium confidence)
- ABC Gardening Australia: Fruit Guide (growing, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) (planting time, medium confidence)
- Poisons information centre plant guidance (Australia) (toxicity, low confidence)
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control: Lemon (citrus essential oils and psoralens) (toxicity, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.