Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
cacao (zones 11-12) does not overlap with Nevada's zone range (4a-10a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Cacao is hardy to zone 11, and the warmest ground in Nevada is zone 10 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Nevada winter. To grow it here, grow cacao in a container and move it under cover for the coldest weeks, or give it a greenhouse.
Season extension and overwintering under cover both work at this margin. How to buy the weeks →
Zone math from 11-12 (plant) against 4-10 (Nevada). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Nevada spans zones 4a-10a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score cacao against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Cacao Needs
- USDA Zones: 11-12
- Frost-Free Days: 180+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 25 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Nevada Has
- USDA Zones: 4a-10a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 28 - May 20
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 9 - Oct 21
- Annual Rainfall: 4-12 inches
- Common Soils: Desert sand, Caliche, Alkaline clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 11-12)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Cacao in Nevada
The frost window
Across Nevada, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 28 and May 20, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 9 and Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 142-day window you can count on — up to 176 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Nevada runs as cold as USDA zone 4, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for cacao, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether cacao is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Nevada; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Nye County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says cacao does not survive a Nevada winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Nevada under protection.
Frost-free days
Cacao wants 180+ frost-free days; a typical Nevada site sees ~163 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 17 days short of what it needs. A typical Nevada season does not carry this crop to harvest outdoors, and a gap that size is not one an earlier sowing date or a faster cultivar closes; growing it here means growing it under cover.
Growing degree days
Cacao needs ~5000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~1725 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Nevada's typical season runs short on heat — pick a south-facing site and consider season extension.
Chill hours
Cacao has no winter-chill requirement — its listed minimum is 0 hours (USDA PLANTS Database). Nevada typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so chill is not a constraint on this plant here — and not evidence in its favour either. Winter survival and season length are what decide it.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Cacao tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4-8) — 4 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Nevada. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Nevada soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Nevada site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Nevada's soils run mostly very gravelly sandy loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Cacao needs about 59 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how cacao performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Nevada soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Cacao in Nevada — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 11-12 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 4a-10a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 28 - May 20 to Oct 9 - Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Cacao in Nevada
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Nevada growers also need to think about:
Extremely low rainfall (driest US state)
Alkaline soils (pH 8-9) limit many species
Extreme summer heat in southern valleys
Growing cacao here specifically
Cacao prefers pH 4.0–8.0 and room to root deep; across much of Nevada, restrictive group-D subsoil (SSURGO) blocks that depth.
Build cacao a deep raised bed of loose soil to bypass the dense subsoil entirely. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Nevada grower, not just cacao — is covered on the Nevada growing guide.
Timing shifts within Nevada
Nevada isn't one climate. In Nye County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 31 — roughly 30 days later than the recorded state median — so plant cacao to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Cacao needs about 180 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 4 of Nevada’s 17 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Carson City County at 182 frost-free days — 2 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across Nevada’s 17 counties the frost-free season runs from 110 days in Elko County to 321 days in Clark County — a spread of 211 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Nevada county sees 163 frost-free days, which is 17 days short of what cacao needs — so on a typical Nevada parcel this is a transplant-or-protect crop, not a direct-sow one.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Cacao's 180-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Good to Know Before You Plant Cacao
Cacao is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (all) at a severe level (ASPCA). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear.
Nevada Cooperative Extension
For Nevada-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for cacao, the canonical source is University of Nevada, Reno Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Cacao native to Nevada?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cacao as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Nevada's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Nevada natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Nevada growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Cacao in Nevada
When can I plant Cacao in Nevada?
Nevada's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 28 and May 20, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 9 and Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Cacao, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Nevada and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Cacao grown in across Nevada?
Nevada spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-10a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Cacao carries a range of zones 11-12, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Nevada site have?
A typical Nevada site sees ~163 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Cacao needs 180+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Nye, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Cacao native to Nevada?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cacao as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Nevada's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Nevada natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Cacao in Nevada?
Cacao tolerates pH 4-8 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 4-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Nevada site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Cacao actually grow on my specific land in Nevada?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores cacao against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Nevada
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores cacao against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Nevada cacao averages can't show:
We read public map data around Nevada — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Nevada cacao average
Explore More
Growing guides for cacao
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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