How to Grow Tamarinds USA

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 the USA: climate data

Tamarind is listed for USDA zones 10a–11 (Missouri Botanical Garden). Of the 26 cities in the NOAA normals we use, 6 fall inside that range; Albany, NY (6a), Atlanta Hartsfield, GA (8a), Baltimore Wash, MD (8a), Bismarck, ND (4a), Charlotte Douglas, NC (8a), Dallas Ft Worth, TX (8b), Denver, CO (6a), Des Moines, IA (5b), Duluth, MN (5a), Fargo Hector, ND (4a), Houston Intercont, TX (9b), Madison Dane Rgnl, WI (5b), Milwaukee Mitchell, WI (6a), Minneapolis, MN (5a), Nashville, TN (7b), Pittsburgh, PA (7a), Raleigh Durham, NC (8a), San Antonio, TX (9a), Seattle Tacoma, WA (9a), Sioux Falls, SD (5a) are colder than the lowest zone listed.

Dates are the median 32°F freeze dates and freeze-free days from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; zones come from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map (ZIP code of each city centre).

Read the table with the frost warning above: young trees are very susceptible to frost, and mature trees tolerate only brief periods near 28°F (California Rare Fruit Growers). Any city whose freeze-free season is shorter than 365 days in the NOAA data sees a freeze in a median year.

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

1. University of Florida IFAS Extension - Tamarindus indica: Tamarind (ENH776/ST618)

These source is specific to this region. 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.