The Compact Costco Citrus Tree That Rewards You With Hard-To-Find Limes

Costco is best known for its fan-favorite Kirkland products that bring in billions of dollars annually, but it sells much more than just standard groceries. You can buy anything from a television to new appliances. If you've always wanted to grow your own key limes, but didn't know where to start, Costco has you covered with its Mexican Key Lime Semi-Dwarf tree. It's available online only for $100, and usually arrives within two weeks of placing the order.

Costco also sells lemon trees, but the benefit to buying a key lime tree is that these fruits aren't always easy to find in grocery stores. Key limes aren't the same as standard limes. They're lighter in color, contain less juice, and have a more tart, aromatic flavor compared to standard limes (also known as Tahiti or Persian limes) you find at the supermarket. And, of course, key limes are the star of key lime pie.

Rather than plant your own key lime seeds and grow a tree from scratch, you can purchase this tree from Costco and reap the benefits of key limes without that extra start-up work. The tree stands just under 3 feet tall when it arrives, but can be between 6 and 12 feet once fully mature. It produces key limes throughout the summer months, and needs full sun and regular watering to thrive.

The tree has 4.4 out of 5 stars on Costco's website with around 120 reviews, which are generally positive. "The tree arrived in perfect shape and very healthy looking," one user said of Costco's shipping, with many others noting that the trees they ordered looked healthy. However, users did note that the tree's initial health and appearance are only one factor, with some mentioning they'd have to wait at least a year to see how well it actually holds up.

It's important to note that the trees are delicate, so some users did report problems with shipping. As with any plant, it also has the potential to carry bugs. "Good packaging but a major limb was broken," one user wrote, also adding that the tree possibly brought whiteflies, a troublesome insect, with it when it arrived. Still, with such positive reviews, the key lime tree could be the solution when you want to make an easy key lime pie.