All the fruits are all ripe, enjoy! Thomas J. Depending on the species, they can be early or late in the month. Mild winters allow for the harvest of cool weather crops and hot summers help make citrus sweet, chiles spicy and dates ripen. Download this stock image: Ripe lemons on lemon tree in Phoenix, Arizona January 2018 - S1WG43 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. Many years ago when we lived in Tucson, I had planted a lemon tree in the backyard, and the first harvest caught us by surprise. These trees produce lemons with great acidity that possess very few seeds. Arizona gets the best-tasting lemon of all. Arizona Farm Bureau Federation – The Voice of Arizona Agriculture; Julie's Fresh Air; Archives. Winter lemons and limes are ready to harvest between November and March. The sun and soil are perfect for growing oranges, tangerines, lemons and grapefruit. One warning, when they do ripen, they ripen all at once. Southwest: New lemon for Arizona gardens. Citrus is one of the state’s iconic 5 Cs: Citrus, Cotton, Climate, Cattle and Copper. Arizona’s citrus industry predates statehood by decades. Mild winters allow for the harvest of cool weather crops and hot summers help make citrus sweet, chiles spicy and dates ripen. Ripe lemons are a brilliant shade of yellow or yellow-orange and have a shine to their skin. Taste Test All the eyeballing in the world is not sufficient to identify a ripe lemon, however. BEST LEMON TREE TO GROW IN ARIZONA. February This is the time to fertilize. Like grapefruits, they typically have two harvest times. The lemons also hold onto the tree very well, which means they won’t be falling off your tree and littering your floor. You're better off taste-testing one fruit to judge the ripeness of the rest of the tree's lemons. Wrinkled or dull skin means that you waited too long; the fruits are past their prime. Water once or twice this month. Summer fruit can be picked in September and October. Lance Walheim, – October 8, 2004 For the first time in decades, gardeners in Arizona can grow what many consider the best-tasting lemon of all ― ‘Improved Meyer’. Arizonan’s beautiful backyard citrus and the citrus industry are threatened by a tiny pest that can spread a fatal disease. The lemon tree species that adapts the best to the AZ climate is the Eureka Lemon Tree. Most species start blooming late February or early March. Expect more frost until the middle of the month, and occasionally until even later. Keep in mind that these are just general guidelines. The trees are getting ready to start growing buds. The Arizona growing season chugs along all year long. Story. Lemons and limes - These make the citrus season a year round event.