We have had a lot of enquiries for desert lime trees following ABC TV Landline exposure. Before that we were intent on developing our own desert lime plantation and expanding it. We are now also planning to supply people who want to purchase trees to plant. The following information should first be considered:

General information:
Bush or desert limes - eremocitrus glauca - is an inland tree adapted to harsh Australian conditions. The limes are small and round, about the size of a grape, with a very distinctive piquant lime flavour. Our 3500 trees are grafted on to a citrainge rootstock because the straight natives propagated from seed take about 10 years to bear fruit, while the grafted trees take 4 to 5 years with first fruiting at 3 years. We use cuttings from a few of the very best bearing wild trees selected from over a thousand native trees in 11 years of wild harvesting. We are planting a further 8500 trees in the next two years and will cease wild harvesting when these mature. Our native desert lime trees are heavy bearers under favourable conditions (40 kgs per tree for good trees) and the selection process we have ensures this trait continues in the plantation trees.

Advantages over other limes or citrus?
Taste - A distinctive intense ‘moreish’ flavour (what got us into them really)
Ease of use - no peeling, slicing; just use them whole at 1/4 the equivalent weight of Tahitian limes.
Interest - an Australian native fruit from a desert-adapted tree – makes good environmental sense.

Availability of trees?
We are accepting orders for grafted trees ready to deliver March/April 2007 at $20/seedling at farm gate. Due to citrus tree movement regulations we can delivery to customers residing in Queensland and Victoria only. The minimum order is 5 trees. Please contact us if you would like to make a purchase. These are small trees potted in 1 litre containers. We are seeking Plant Breeder Rights over our selections so the plants may be further propagated by purchasers - but not sold.

Markets, marketing arrangements, future prospects?
We anticipate developing markets which are beyond our capacity to supply as we have limited water for our trickle irrigation plantation. We are moving to value-add our desert limes and developing a range of products: jams, chutney, sauces, drinks etc. We are seeking Australian and export markets for our frozen fruit and value-added products and will be looking for additional reliable supply sources apart from our own to fill these orders. The longer term aim is to establish a brand name under which other desert lime growers can market but on the basis that we all meet set quality standards for the brand. Our central company/brand name would either purchase fruit from suppliers or charge a commission. A co-operative is an option also. Our hope is that the people growing desert limes from our material will promote and market innovatively themselves also so this distinctive native fruit is much more widely known and available. The intention is to start a new, small Australian industry which is widely based geographically and to avoid the pitfalls that some previous start-ups experienced, such as with aloe vera and ostriches.

Summary
So there you have it. We are not pushing people to do this as there is a degree of risk in both the growing of these trees and in marketing the fruit - plus plenty of work - so the decision should not be taken lightly. It is exciting though to be a pioneer in this field and it could be fun to share that.

Restrictions are currently in place prohibiting transportation of citrus plants into some States, please contact us if you require further information.