Limes: Are They Ripe When Green?

Are limes ripe when green? When yellow? The answer is: it depends. Start by being familiar with your particular microclimate and the variety of your lime tree. Knowing exactly when to harvest limes at peak ripeness can be a bit of an art. Here are our pointers.

Harvest carefully to avoid damage. If possible, avoid harvesting in the early morning. Limes are more turgid in the early morning and therefore more prone to damage if oils are released from the peels, causing more rapid decomposition. Limes are also prone to stylar end breakdown. In this post harvest disorder, acid builds up in bruised fruit and results in a tan or greyish area developing at the blossom end of the fruit, resulting in the deterioration of the rind.

How to judge peak ripeness. Generally speaking, limes are ripe when juicy. GardenZeus recommends sampling a fruit or two to judge ripeness. Limes can be harvested when green or yellow, and are typically harvested when green for commercial purposes. Green limes have a more distinct “lime” flavor, but yellow limes have more juice. The green Bearss limes below will have maximum flavor, and the yellow Bearss limes below will have maximum fruit. Once ripe, limes do not hold well on trees. When faced with a tree full of ripe limes, GardenZeus recommends picking the fruit and then freezing the juice for later use. Frozen lime juice can last for four months if properly stored. When limes become overripe they soften, begin to rot on the tree, and/or fall from the tree.

Bearss lime

Bearss limes with maximum juice and yellow rind

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Other articles of interest:

Getting Started With Lime Trees in Mediterranean Climates

Complex, Tart and Bitter: The GardenZeus Guide To Lime Tree Varieties

Why are Leaves Curling on My Orange and Lemon Trees?