Building a summer guild around potted citrus trees

17/08/2014

I re-potted my lemon and kumquat trees into bigger pots with nursery soil and watered with citrus fertilizer. Due to an ongoing storm I decided to shelter both plants in the hall, where they are now likely to stay over the long danish winter.

I plan to  take my precious potted citrus trees outdoor again when flowers are blooming next spring so that they can be pollinated naturally and enjoy as much sun as possible.

 Here I gathered ideas to build a beneficial summer citrus guild. These guidelines will help plan my sowing calendar over winter and spring.

1. Plant a few pea seeds directly into the pot because lemon tree is heavy feeder and needs nitrogen fixing plants.

2.  Keep potted herbs such as mint, lemon balm, parsley and thyme around my citrus in order to attract pollinators, caterpillar parasites, and enjoy fresh teas in season.
I already have a peppermint and thyme pots on my stairs in front of the house.
I should take a cutting of lemon balm from my backyard bush in order to have one ready next spring.
I have to sow parsley in containers during the winter so I can I enjoy fresh parsley in my morning fruit smoothies even when it's snowing. Then I can take them outdoors as soon as citrus bloom in late spring.

4. Sow beautiful useful flowers such as marigolds, nasturtium, petunia and borage who do double duty, deterring pests while attracting pollinators. I could grow them at the bottom of the hedge opposite to the house.

5. Grow a row of lavender because they keep aphids and whitefly from infesting citrus trees. I'll start from seed indoors in winter and wait until may (no frost) before planting them on the sunny side of the house.
I shall alternate white and purple flowering lavender for a more dramatic effect.

More information,
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/plants-can-used-companion-lemon-tree-63757.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_8381176_plant-lavender-under-citrus-trees.html