Having spend most of early life in the tropics. I love growing tropical plants in my garden. Also almost anything that is edible flowers, veg and plants as well.
Recently I acquired some calamondin orange plant as mine at home did not flower or fruit last year. Now it’s slowly flowering and fruiting after some ericaceous compost and fertilizer. The flowers smell lovely and heavenly as one walks past it. I have seen young clalamondin orange plants sold online. I have not manage to grow then out of seed. Personally I think it’s better to buy trees or established plants. They are easily to get hold off in garden centres. I find them on and off at my local Homebase. Homebase it’s a garden retail centre that is available in the UK.
Also known as calamansi lime. Citrofortunella mitis is the scientific name. They are grown here as on ornamental plant. Once establish the tree do fruit easily otherwise they need a bit of warm, sunny spot plus a good dose of ericaceous or lime soil to fruit. I bought mine from cheap from an independent garden centre it took a season to get it to fruit. So don’t give up if it doesn’t fruit. I have not personally encounter any probelms growing them.
We normally use the young green fruit as lime juice back in S.E.Asia. Here all over Europe (I got one of my plants while in Italy) it is grown as an onamental plant which the orange fruit lovely lovely against it’s green leaves. Great to perk up a pad Thai, fried noodles, salad dressing or any sambal. Yumm!! For the ripen fruit they are great to make chutney or marmalade. You will need a good dose of sugar to counteract the bitter taste of ripen lime. That is the reason why they don’t eat the ripen lime in SE Asia. Calamondin lime like all lime and orange do contain high amounts of Vitamin c. So let me know how you get one… Good luck and many thanks for stopping by.
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