Meyer Lemon is a perennial grown for its fruit. It's hardy across USDA zones 9 through 11 and stands up to deer. Its spring flowers are a real draw for honeybees, even though the fruit is the prize. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Meyer Lemon — the short answer
Meyer Lemon: grown in zones 9–11, full sun, pH 5.5–8.3.
- USDA zones
- 9–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5.5–8.3
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Meyer Lemon on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether meyer lemon actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score meyer lemon against your land's real conditions.
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What Meyer Lemon is
Meyer Lemon grows as a perennial and reaches around ten feet at maturity. It blooms white in spring. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Meyer Lemon
Meyer Lemon grows in USDA zones 9 through 11. Meyer Lemon does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground. It needs around 3,500 growing degree days to mature, a growing season of at least 140 frost-free days, and about 0 hours of winter chill to set fruit, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
9-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 8.3
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
53.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
Growable Ground Plant Database
GDD Required
3500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
10 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
0+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
140+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant meyer lemon in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Meyer Lemon prefers pH 5.5 to 8.3 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Pick when the fruit is full-colored and parts easily from the stem. Local Cooperative Extension guides publish timing tables.
Where Meyer Lemon thrives
Meyer Lemon is hardy across USDA zones 9 through 11. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 9–11 spans average winter lows from 20°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 17 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 9–11·Where Meyer Lemon growsOpen map →
Where Meyer Lemon stands, state by state
Meyer Lemon is rated for zones 9–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 20 to 30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 17 more, and 34 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
17 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 17 shown
Meyer Lemon’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Meyer Lemon
Growing guides for meyer lemon
In rotation planning, meyer lemon counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in fruit
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — meyer lemon is toxic to dogs and cats (mild severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Meyer Lemon is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest meyer lemon, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant meyer lemon for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Meyer Lemon's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Meyer Lemon will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether meyer lemon actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Meyer Lemon
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Meyer Lemon in my zone?
Meyer Lemon grows in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Meyer Lemon?
Most growers plant meyer lemon after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 140-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Meyer Lemon need?
Meyer Lemon needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Meyer Lemon need?
Meyer Lemon prefers soil pH 5.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Meyer Lemon attract pollinators?
Yes — meyer lemon's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees.
Is Meyer Lemon safe for pets?
Meyer Lemon is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with mild severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)