5. Good Organic Gardening - September-October 2016 AvxHome.in

Lime | TIME TO PLANT
- in the -
orchard
Lime
Citrus spp.
Whether you use its leaves, zest or juice, this
intense fruit adds zing to any dish or drink
Words Melissa King
Limes are small, beautiful fruiting
trees with lush evergreen foliage and
scented blossoms. In some areas the
exotic fruit is expensive to buy, so why
wouldn’t you plant one in the garden?
It’s the Tahitian lime (Citrus × latifolia)
with its small rounded fruit and zesty lime
flavour that I use most, in everything from
Brazilian-style cocktails to Thai-inspired
seafood dishes. It’s more cold-tolerant than
other limes so is a good one for growing
further south. The lime flavour is most intense
when the fruit is green, but the juice is more
generous as the fruit changes to yellow.
For an intense lime flavour, try the West
Indian or Mexican key lime (C. aurantifolia). It
thrives in warm frost-free areas so it’s one for
tropical and subtropical gardeners. The fruit
can be small and seedy but has a delicious
true lime flavour.
If you’re a fan of Asian cooking, it’s worth
planting a kaffir lime (C. hystrix), too, grown
for its wonderfully scented leaves that flavour
a variety of dishes, from stirfries to salads
and curries. The juice of the small knobbly
fruit isn’t generally used in the kitchen but its
zest is full of flavour. The tree only grows to
around 3m tall, making it perfect for pots. But
the branches are thorny, so keep well away
from paths and entranceways.
For something different, try growing the
Australian finger lime (C. australasica). The
tree itself is spiny and not much to look at but
it produces long, slender, finger-shaped fruit
filled with caviar-like balls that explode sour
lime in your mouth. And the fruit comes in
many colours including green, yellow, purple
and red (see page 70 for more).
Growing conditions: Limes can be grown in
cooler areas in a warm, protected spot, but if
they had a choice they’d prefer to be grown in
subtropical or tropical climates. Choose a sunny
spot with good drainage or grow them in pots
or raised beds if drainage is poor. Keep trees
well watered, particularly when they are forming
young fruit, and give them regular doses of
complete organic citrus food to sustain growth
and promote an abundance of fruit.
Health tip: Limes are a wonderful source of
vitamin C. Historically, sailors sought out limes
to protect themselves from scurvy.
Kaffir lime is grown for the
fragrant leaves but the zest of
the knobbly fruit is used, too
Good Organic Gardening | 49