How to Grow Tamarinds Canada

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Soil pH	5.5 - 6.5
Soil texture	Deep, well-drained soils; tolerates poor ground once established
Drainage	Well-drained
Lifecycle	Long-lived evergreen tree, bearing fruit from seven to ten years old.

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: Low to moderate; prefers 800-3000 mm but tolerates 300 mm

Soil pH range

5.5 6.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Trees begin bearing at 7-10 years, with maximum yields from about 15 years onwards. Pods are left on the tree until the shell is brittle and the pulp sticky.

Tamarind through the season

At market

Sold as whole pods, as pressed blocks of pulp, and as concentrate. The sourness is tartaric acid.

What the research guides add

Tamarind is a large tropical tree. All three sources below agree that the frost is the limit, and they disagree about whether a pot is a sensible answer.

• A frost-tender, tropical, evergreen tree that can reach 65 feet with a spread of 50 feet, though it is often seen smaller. (UF/IFAS, Missouri Botanical Garden)
• Missouri Botanical Garden says it is winter hardy only in USDA zones 10 to 11, best grown in acidic, fertile, sandy, moist, well-drained soil in full sun; established trees have good drought tolerance. (Missouri Botanical Garden)
• California Rare Fruit Growers says young trees are very susceptible to frost, while mature trees withstand brief periods of 28°F without serious injury. (California Rare Fruit Growers)
• UF/IFAS notes tamarind has low salt tolerance, so it should not be planted close to the beach. (UF/IFAS)
• California Rare Fruit Growers also says the tree is too large to be grown in a container for any length of time, and that a tree in cool coastal San Diego County flowers but rarely sets fruit. (California Rare Fruit Growers)

Tamarind in Canada: climate data

Tamarind is listed for USDA zones 10a–11 (Missouri Botanical Garden). Canada has its own zone map, so check your location on the Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada map before relying on a USDA number.

Frost dates and frost-free days are the median values for the stations in Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals with the highest data-quality rating (1981–2010 normals).

Every Canadian station in the table records frost in a median year. The sources describe tamarind as frost-tender and too large to keep in a pot for long, so they point away from it as a Canadian home-garden plant.

Sources for this section

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Tamarindus indica: Tamarind (ENH776/ST618)
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Tamarindus indica (Plant Finder)
• California Rare Fruit Growers: Tamarind (Fruit Facts)

Section researched and checked on 24 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.

Sources

The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (University of Florida IFAS Extension, Useful Tropical Plants (tropical.theferns.info)) is in the references of our UK guide to tamarinds; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.