The Meyer Lemon is a perfect fruit tree for San Francisco and our demonstration project. According to the San Francisco Foodshed Assessment of 2008 (download here), our San Francisco foodshed produces 5.3 tons of citrus crops (lemons are one of those) but we consume over 25,000 tons of citrus every year. Since average consumption of lemons is 3 pounds per person a year, we need to produce at least 461 tons of lemons a year to be self sufficient. We can easily do this!
- Need: 461 tons of lemons in a single year, to serve our San Francisco community
- Lemons Produced in a year: 200 pounds, for a mature garden tree
- To Fill Our Gap: We want to plant 12,000 Lemon Trees
Our goal is to be sustainable in one food crop, and we’ve selected lemons because we believe we already have a great head start! San Francisco’s Department of Public Works estimates that there are probably 3-4,000 lemon trees already planted in back yards throughout San Francisco. IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE, we’re requesting that you REGISTER your tree add it to our growing database of existing lemon trees.
Lemons are extremely easy to grow, have a very attractive shape and foliage, are fruitful in their first year and produce some fruit a good part of the year in our mild climate, and are easy to care for. They also grow very well in containers, so you can put them on your porch or even grow them inside. Best of all, they have a lovely fragrance!
If you’re interesed in adding a tree to your yard or garden space, we are recommending you check out our PLANT A TREE section to find out everything you need to know about locating, purchasing and caring for an Improved Meyer Lemon tree.
Once you plant, BE SURE TO REGISTER YOUR TREE so we can achieve our citywide goal.
