Probably a couple years ago now, I was discussing whether it was possible to plant the seeds inside a lemon and get fruit. So I stuck a few seeds in a small pot, and a few weeks later, two small plants germinated.

They spent about a year being 6″ tall, before I finally figured out that it’s because they were too cramped in their pots. I took them out to transplant and it seemed that there was more of a maze of root than there was soil. I put them each in five-gallon pots so that they’ll have plenty of room to grow, and they’ve been taking off, with lots of new growth.

So I did some more research. For one, the plants will produce fruit, but it often takes years, and it’s not necessarily something most people do, because the trees will grow to about 20 feet, produce copious thorns, and need to be outside to become pollinated, and yet they can’t handle New Hampshire winters.

But here’s something that fascinates me. I read an allusion to it but didn’t believe it until today. I’ve had them on our enclosed sunporch for a few weeks, and it’s just now that the new growth is really taking off, with small, glossy leaves. And I kept smelling a pleasant fragrance on the porch.

So I felt one of the top leaves that was glossiest. And my hands smelled like lemon.

I’m really not sure what my long-term plan is going to be. I hate thorny plants, and I’m not sure what to do when the tree is many feet tall, since it seems that it would merrily grow through the ceiling. But short-term, I’m thinking that growing lemon trees was an even neater idea than I thought.