Yes, You Can Grow a Lemon Tree in Perrysburg

We picked a bowl of lemons and limes off our trees this fall, and when people see them the first thing they ask is how. Ohio isn't citrus country. Zone 6b winters can hit zero or colder.

The answer is the pot. Our citrus lives in containers. The trees spend summer outside in full sun, and when fall nights start dropping toward 40°F they come inside to a bright window or the greenhouse. They never have to face an Ohio winter.

What we've learned

Sun matters most. Outside, give it the sunniest spot you have. Inside, a south-facing window is best. If the leaves drop in winter, it usually wants more light.

Don't drown it. Water when the top inch or two of soil is dry, and make sure the pot drains. Soggy roots cause more trouble than anything else.

Feed it while it's growing. Use a citrus fertilizer from spring through late summer, then let it rest over the winter.

Help the flowers indoors. Bees can't get to a tree in your living room, so dabbing the blossoms with a small paintbrush helps it set fruit. We wrote up how in our Citrus & Tropical Plant Care guide.

Take it back out slowly in spring. A few days in shade first, then full sun, so the leaves don't scorch.

Our fruit isn't grocery-store perfect and the skins have a few marks, but it's ours, grown right here.

Want to try one?

We're taking pre-orders for citrus trees for spring 2027: Meyer lemon, Key lime, Kaffir lime, Satsuma mandarin, Glen navel, Valencia and Moro blood oranges, Flame grapefruit and Calamondin. They're small, young trees, about 26 to 30 inches tall, in tall 2-gallon containers, and every one is self-fruitful, so one tree is enough. Quantities are limited.

See the varieties on our Pre-Orders page, or text us with questions.