Lime · Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
When to plant limes in Istanbul
Main outdoor window
6 Mar - 3 Apr
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
20 February
In Istanbul, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Jul - 31 Dec
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Istanbul
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant the tree
6 Mar - 3 Apr
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Jul - 31 Dec
Limes through the year
Against the frost risk in Istanbul
Why these dates
Damaged at around -1C. There is effectively no frost tolerance here at all.
Limes are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Istanbul has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Istanbul sits in zone 9b, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Also in Istanbul
Other fruits to time
Growing limes in Istanbul
When should I plant limes in Istanbul?
Aim for 6 Mar - 3 Apr in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 1-29 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will limes be ready to harvest in Istanbul?
Expect to start picking around 1 Jul - 31 Dec, based on 150 to 240 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will limes tolerate?
Damaged at around -1C. There is effectively no frost tolerance here at all.