If you want to grow limes at home but lack the warm climate necessary for outdoor growing, take a look at dwarf lime trees. These plants remain compact, allowing you to tuck them into planters and grow them indoors. Join farmer Briana Yablonski to learn how to plant and care for these petite citrus trees. During the dark days of winter, few things are as refreshing as savoring a piece of lime meringue pie or sipping on a tangy lime cocktail. While there’s nothing wrong with purchasing limes from the supermarket, growing your own limes at home brings a whole new level of appreciation for this tangy citrus fruit! The tricky part of growing lime trees is their cold sensitivity. If you try to grow them outdoors in places like Pennsylvania or Colorado, you’ll watch them quickly succumb to winter temperatures. However, before you write off growing one of these trees at home, consider growing them in a pot indoors! Dwarf lime trees remain less than ten feet tall, so they’re perfect for container growing and sunny indoor areas. Not only do they produce tasty fruit, but they also act as a conversation-starting houseplant! Stick with me to learn how to plant and care for these tiny citrus trees. What Is It? Unless you live in the warmest areas of the United States, you’ll have difficulty growing lime trees outdoors. However, if you live in zone 7 and colder, you can still grow these trees at home if you bring them indoors during the winter. Since smaller trees are easier to move and keep indoors, dwarf limes are a great option for northern growers. The dwarf lime tree isn’t a specific species or variety. Instead, it’s any type of lime grown onto a dwarfing rootstock. The rootstock keeps the tree small and provides some disease resistance, while the scion determines fruit flavor, size, and production. That means you can find dwarf key limes, dwarf makrut limes, and dwarf Persian limes. Characteristics As I mentioned above, not all dwarf lime trees share the same characteristics. However, they do have many commonalities! All max out between six and eight feet tall when grown in the ground. Container-grown trees remain smaller and typically grow four to six feet tall. Therefore, they’re a great option if you want to grow a lime tree indoors. They are evergreen, so they keep their leaves year-round and never enter true dormancy. The leaves are oblong and may have a pointed or rounded end. Most of these citrus trees produce the majority of their small, white flowers in the spring, but flowers continue to pop up throughout the year. The flowers eventually turn into small fruits that grow until they reach the size of a golf ball or a little larger. Most limes will mature and ripen sometime between early fall and winter. Native Area Lime trees are native to Southeast Asia. The exact native area depends on the type of dwarf lime tree scion. Regardless, all of these trees prefer warm tropical climates but tolerate indoor growing conditions. Planting Depending on where you live, you can either plant these trees outdoors in the ground or in a movable container. Planting these trees in pots allows you to keep them outside in the summer and move them indoors when colder weather arrives, but you can also keep them indoors year-round. Regardless of where you plant them, it’s best to start the planting process with a seedling.

Are you looking for a showy plant that produces edible fruits, attracts pollinators, and helps feed birds? Look no further than the highbush cranberry. This cool-weather-loving shrub is perfect for northern gardens. Learn all about the highbush cranberry and how to grow it in your landscape. The highbush cranberry, also known as cranberry viburnum or American cranberrybush, is a bit of a puzzle. It produces sweet-tart, bright red, cranberry-like fruits, yet it’s not related to the true cranberry. American cranberrybush, Viburnum opulus var. americanum, is a variety of viburnum and is native to northern North America. Adding to the confusion, this deciduous native shrub is easily confused with a weedy species from Europe, known as the European cranberrybush, Viburnum opulus. North American gardeners will want to stick with the native species or one of its equally showy cultivars. You will then have a hardy and easy-to-grow native shrub with beautiful spring flowers and colorful fall foliage. The white flowers and scarlet red berries provide a feast for pollinators and songbirds, and the berries are edible and tangy, and make excellent fruity preserves! Are you ready to add some form and color to your woodland garden, rain garden, or bird garden? Let’s dig right into the details and see if the highbush cranberry is a great choice for your landscape! Plant Natural History Despite its name, the highbush cranberry is not related to true cranberries (Species Vaccinium, family Ericaceae). Highbush cranberry is a member of the Moschatel family (Adoxaceae), which consists of about 200 species of herbs, shrubs, and small trees, many with showy flowers and fruits. It was previously grouped in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). The native range of the highbush cranberry includes all of the northern United States and Canada. The range extends as far south as Colorado, Illinois, and West Virginia. It will grow in the cooler mountain regions of more southern states but is not considered native in these areas. In its natural habitat, highbush cranberry is primarily an understory shrub that inhabits woodland margins and open hardwood forests. It prefers moist soils and is often found along streams and wetland edges. This is an important wildlife plant throughout its range and also offers food and medicinal value for humans. Do not confuse the native highbush cranberry with a similar species, the European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus). European cranberrybush has escaped cultivation and naturalized in many northern states and Canada. The European species competes with the native highbush cranberry and other native plants. The fruits of the European cranberry bush are not palatable, nor are they favored by wildlife. Characteristics The highbush cranberry is a deciduous shrub with a maximum height of eight to 12 feet. It has a medium growth rate and will mature into a multi-stemmed shrub with a rounded, vase-like form. It has thin bark with a smooth to scaly texture and a light gray to tan color. Smaller stems have a reddish tint. The leaves somewhat resemble maple leaves, typically with three distinctive pointed lobes. The leaves measure three to six inches long and one to three inches across. They are opposite along the stems and coarsely toothed. Color during the growing season is uniformly medium green. In the autumn, the leaves turn golden yellow, followed by shades of red, burgundy, and purple. Highbush cranberry blooms in the spring. Its lacy white flowers form in flat-topped clusters. Each mass of flowers consists of two distinctly different flower types. The outer flowers are sterile but very showy. These are larger and pure white with five rounded petals. The inner flowers are fertile and much more abundant. These inner flowers are much smaller, creamy white, and have five recurved petals and prominent yellow-tipped anthers. Bright red berry-like drupes mature in the fall. These can be harvested and eaten raw or preserved as jellies and jams. They have a sweet-tart flavor and can be used as a substitute for traditional cranberries. Propagation Highbush cranberry is most easily propagated by seed, stem cuttings, or division.

Growing full-sized watermelons can seem daunting for home gardeners. They take up a lot of space and produce a massive fruit. If that’s not your style, try the “icebox” variety ‘Sugar Baby,’ packed with the same nutrients, juiciness, and flavor as their giant counterparts. Join organic farmer Jenna Rich as she discusses how to plant, grow, and care for it. I hadn’t grown watermelons until this season, and ‘Sugar Baby’ happened to be the one I ended up with. A neighbor had saved seeds from a previous year and asked me to start some for her in my greenhouse. I was happy to oblige and even happier when she offered me any extras as she only wanted four plants. Once summer was in full gear, I transplanted two seedlings into their own fabric grow bag and set them alongside my Birdies metal raised beds. Before long, their vines intertwined with my tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. It was a beautiful jungle of all my favorite summer crops, and the melons performed well in their bags. After noting signs of full maturity, I harvested the first of several, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. I recommend this delicious heirloom variety if you have space for a mini watermelon. Let’s learn how to plant, grow, care for, and enjoy ‘Sugar Baby’ watermelons. What Are ‘Sugar Baby’ Watermelons? This variety is an easy-to-grow, juicy, compact watermelon, an excellent option for individuals or young families. While mostly water, this heirloom also contains antioxidants, potassium, Vitamin C, carotenoids, and lycopene. It’s prolific, and our community loves it for its high yields, delicious flavor, consistency, and overall good health. ‘Sugar Baby’’s high sugar content gives it its standout sweetness. Appearance This adorable melon is small, round, deep green externally, with gorgeous dark red internal flesh. There may be some faint lighter green striping on the outside. The seeds are roundish and medium brown, and the rind is minimal. Each fruit weighs eight to ten pounds and is seven to ten inches in diameter, and each plant produces two to five melons. Native Area ‘Sugar Baby’ watermelons are native to Africa and was introduced to the United States in the 1950s. It quickly gained popularity for its size, flavor, and heirloom status. How to Grow These are sensitive to transplant, but with extra care, they’ll succeed without issues. ‘Sugar Baby’ watermelons are known for being low-maintenance. Sunlight Place plants where they’ll receive eight to ten hours of direct sunlight daily. Sunlight promotes ample flower production and stimulates pollination, and full sun will ensure their flesh is super sweet. Water Watermelons are named as such because they contain high water levels and require a lot of water to produce their massive, sweet, and juicy fruits. Water them one to two inches weekly if they have not received that much rainfall. Water at the base to ensure it reaches the roots. The soil should be consistently moist but not soggy. Soil Watermelons thrive in rich, loamy soil high in organic matter, which should remain moist throughout the growing season. The pH is ideally between 6.0 and 6.8, but they will tolerate anywhere between 5.0 and 7.0. A soil test before planting will help determine if you need to acidify your soil. Mulch Short-season growers in northern regions may add heavy straw mulching or silage tarps (black side up) around their melons and pathways to warm the soil temperatures. Mulching adds the bonus of suppressing weeds and fertility to the soil as it breaks down. Climate and Temperature Watermelons prefer air temperatures between 70 and 85°F (21 and 29°C). Cooler temperatures may stunt their growth and cause mushiness, and they will not tolerate a frost. Cover new transplants with a row cover to protect them from spring temperatures. Cool spring soil temperatures are not great for watermelon production. If the spring is unseasonably cool, start indoor seeds later to avoid rootbound seedlings. Fertilizing ‘Sugar Baby’ watermelons are heavy feeders, requiring high amounts of nutrients, water, and composted organic matter. A weekly fish emulsion foliar feed helps them thrive. You may side-dress with compost halfway through the season. Give a nitrogen boost before flowering occurs, when tendrils appear and vines lengthen. Switch to fertilizers that are heavier in potassium when you remove the insect netting, and flowering begins. Harvesting Around 75 to 80 days after transplant, begin monitoring for shriveled curly-Qs near the melon as it’s one of the tell-tale signs that it’s ready for harvest. At this time, the fruit is receiving no additional nutrients from the plant. There may also be a light green or yellow spot on the exterior where it sits on the soil surface and is tough to the touch. Gently tug on the fruit. If it releases itself without much effort, this confirms your suspicion, but if it fights back, leave it for another day or two. Pruning When thinned to the proper spacing, no pruning is necessary. However, when the season is nearing its end and cooler nights have arrived, some growers snip the growing tip so the plant can focus its energy on ripening the fruit on the vine. Propagation ‘Sugar Baby’ watermelons can be directly sown or started indoors three to four weeks before the last frost.