Tips to Ripen Lemons

Leave Them Alone

• Resist the urge to pluck lemons from the tree and to set them on a sunny windowsill. Exercise patience, and wait until the time is right to harvest your lemons. Lemons actually store very well on the tree and ripen very slowly, so you can just pick one when you need it and leave the rest on the tree to continue to ripen.

Watch for Signs

• The longer you wait to harvest your lemons, the sweeter and juicier your lemons will be. Still, you don't want to wait too long, or your lemons will get wrinkly and dry. Wait until they are uniformly yellow and feel solid -- not too light -- in your hand. Green lemons can be picked, but they must be "cured," or stored until they are ripe. As they ripen, the rind turns from green to yellow and becomes thinner.

Provide Plenty of Sun

• Lemon trees, like most citrus trees, thrive in consistently warm temperatures. They need at least eight hours of sunlight a day to bloom well and to produce fruit. Place your tree where it will receive plenty of sunlight. This is especially important if you are growing your tree indoors, as the lemons may take weeks, if not months, to fully ripen. Warm temperatures are just as important as sun exposure. Protect your lemons from frost damage by checking that the tree is not exposed to freezing temperatures. Cover it if you can't bring it indoors during times of cold weather.

Storage

• Lemons can be "cured," or stored, for weeks or even months without becoming overripe or rotting, but the temperatures have to be right. Ideally, temperatures should be between 56 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit in the storage area. Temperatures below 50 degrees may damage the fruit.