Once upon a Lime

I really like citrus. Specifically lime trees. My dwarf Tahitian lime fruited profusely this year and is covered in flowers again so hopefully will continue to fruit all year long. It’s a grafted tree, which generally flower and fruit in the first year or two. It’s best practice though to not let them fruit for at least the first year to help them focus on getting their roots down. But seed grown citrus can take much much longer to bear fruit - usually 5-7 years.

I have a seedling grown kaffir/makrut lime that I bought in 2017 which would have been a couple of months old, and it finally flowered for the first time this week! While usually grown for their aromatic foliage, which is used heavily in Thai and Indonesian cooking, the fruit can also be used - but mainly for their zest as they don’t have much juice. They’re also lumpy little suckers so the only time I’ve cooked with one, I just threw it in the curry whole. None of this pesty zesting business.

Kaffir lime flower. The buds are quite pink which I think is a bit unusual for a lime - usually lemon buds are pinkish!

Also in the “flowered for the first time this year” category is my finger lime. It should have fruited waaay before now - I’ve had it for 4 years and it’s grafted. But better late than never. I can finally spy some teeny tiny limes forming. Fingers crossed they grow! Finger limes are native to Australia and unlike most other citrus don’t love full sun. They’re a rainforest tree so will happily take a bit of shade. They’re also really happy in a pot, so if you only have a small space they’re perfect!

My first teeny tiny finger lime

My West Indian/ key lime flowered was grown from seed and it fruited for the first time last year which was slightly unexpected as I think it would have been only been 3-4 years old. Key limes are small and seedy but don’t let that put you off, they are much more flavoursome than Tahitian limes (the ones you normally buy at the shops). And one lime is the perfect single serve addition to a G&T.

West Indian limes

I also have a Rangpur and calamansi/Philippine lime, which are both still super small. So a good 4-6 years to go on them! Rangpur limes are not technically limes, but a cross between a mandarin and a lemon, and they’re orange - but they’re called a lime because they’re super sour. The leaves are also really fragrant and can be used in cooking. A calamansi looks a bit like a lime on the outside, but is bright orange on the inside. They come from the Philippines, but are grown throughout South East Asia. Last time I was in Singapore we had calamansi juice shots every morning - tart but refreshing!