Hi Agnes,
Ripe limes will be firm but not hard.
Dee

They do go more yellow as they ripen, the yellower they are the sweeter they are. I've started picking the odd one already but they are still a bit hard & not very juicy.
Like so many things in the garden you may just have to try one & see!

Thanks guys. We did try two and surprisingly juicy - I think we will just need to experiment and get to know our tree!

Aggie

Aggie,

I have a tendency to leave mine on the tree until they start to drop. They can be quite yellow by this stage, but are very juicy and flavoursome. If I need one earlier, I lightly tug on them and if they come off the tree then they are ready.

You can use them before this but I agree with Sarah May -they are usually harder, less juicy and more sour.

Regards,

Fiona

Fiona

Thanks very much. I will try leaving them on.

We are getting our second crop now (i think) - very small buds. I don't even know when the fruiting season starts and ends !!

Aggie

Aggie, my lime seem to have flowers, baby fruit & big fruit all at the same time through winter, I thought it was just mine!
My lime was given to me by my best friend so it makes me particularly pleased that it has so much more fruit than any of the other citrus in my garden!
Sarah

Sarah - thank goodness it's not just my trees. I currently have a meyer lemon flowering with baby fruit and three largish green lemons. I have a lime with flowers, small budding fruit and small to medium fruit (we ate three of the larger ones to see if they are ripe). I have no idea when they are meant to all be fruiting, and when they are meant to be cropping. Also, I read on a site I googled that some oranges take about 7 to 9 mths to ripen. I just don't have the patience to stand and watch them ripen !!

What type of lime do you have?

Aggie

i have soooo many beautiful limes,they are a lovely size and are all starting to yellow,my problem is,WHY DON'T THEY HAVE MUCH JUICE AND WHEN YOU CUT THEM THEY SEEM TO BE KIND OF BREAKING UP .CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME?
THANKS AND REGARDS ,PAMELA.

It is called granulation Pamela. Make sure the tree gets enough water during fruit development. Correct nutrition is also important and harvest the limes early (before they turn yellow)