I have a lemon tree; do i pick them and take them inside to ripen or will they fall from the tree?

Question

I found one in the grass that had turned yellow, but I don't know if it had fallen from the tree or was picked.

Answer 1

Once your lemons get full sized you can start using them.  They don't have to be yellow, they can be green and still full of juice.  They will yellow up with time but you can get the jump on the season.  The one that fell off the tree probably turned yellow after it fell off.  As they ripen they won't fall off the tree, you have to pick them.

Answer 2

Pick them as you need them when they turn yellow. If there are too many for immediate use, you can preserve them in jars of salt, or squeeze the juice & either just store in a capped or corked bottle(it is it's own preservative) or freeze in icecube trays. My son kept it in old coke bottles for 3-4 years & it was still good.

Answer 3

You want them to ripen on the tree. You should check on them regularly, pick them from the tree when they are ripe.