How to Grow Tamarinds UK

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

The pods

Brittle brown shells over the sticky sour pulp that flavours pad thai, sambar and a great many chutneys.

At market

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

Gathering

Pods are left on the tree until the shell is brittle, then gathered. UF/IFAS notes they can be messy on hard surfaces.

Pods and leaflets

Trees begin bearing at seven to ten years, with maximum yields from about fifteen onwards.

The foliage

Fine and feathery, casting a light dappled shade -- part of why it is planted as a street and shade tree.

The canopy

UF/IFAS gives 40 to 65 feet tall with a 40 to 50 foot spread in cultivation.

A mature tree

Long-lived and wind-firm. Useful Tropical Plants records heights to 30 m.

Growing on

Full sun and high drought tolerance, on clay, sand or loam, acid or alkaline.

In the dry season

Evergreen in wet climates but deciduous where the dry season is pronounced.

Old wood

Tamarinds live for generations. USDA zones 10A-11 -- a dormant plant survives to about -3°C, but young growth is damaged at -1°C.

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)

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.

References

1. University of Florida IFAS Extension - Tamarindus indica: Tamarind (ENH776/ST618)
2. Useful Tropical Plants (tropical.theferns.info) - Tamarindus indica

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.