Lime
Lime is a fruit in the Rutaceae family. It grows best in full sun with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 9-11.
Varieties
1 · sorted by days to maturity▸Lime
PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Tree fruit (grafted) (not currently in seed catalog). Use: Juice, zest, cooking. Note: Self-fertile and the most cold-tender citrus. Excellent container plant.
Lime (Citrus × aurantiifolia) is a small, self-fertile evergreen citrus grown from grafted stock. The most frost-tender of the common citrus; hardy zones 9-11, otherwise grown in containers.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Citrus × aurantiifolia|Hardiness zones: 9-11|Propagation: grafting|Sun needs: Full sun|Water needs: Medium|Mature height: 6-15 feet
Plan your lime planting
Add lime to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Refrigerate ripe fruit; ripen firm fruit at room temperature.
- Freeze: Freezes well raw; spread on a tray first so pieces stay loose.
- Preserve: Make jam or water-bath can high-acid fruit.
- Dry: Dehydrate or air-dry, then store airtight away from light.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting
No curated care & troubleshooting advice for lime yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.