Cardamom is a tree that takes about one year to establish — a planting measured in decades, not seasons. It's hardy across USDA zones 10 through 13, stands up to deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a modest draw for native bees, even though the harvest is the prize.
Cardamom — the short answer
Cardamom: grown in zones 10–13, part sun, pH 4.8–7, ~1 yr to first harvest.
- USDA zones
- 10–13
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.8–7
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- To First Harvest
- ~1 yr
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Cardamom on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether cardamom actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score cardamom against your land's real conditions.
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What Cardamom is
Cardamom reaches around twelve feet at maturity. It blooms in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Cardamom
Cardamom grows in USDA zones 10 through 13 and takes about one year to begin bearing. Cardamom does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.8 to 7, on well-drained ground. It needs around 5,000 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 240 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
10-13
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.8 - 7
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
50°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
To First Harvest
~1 year
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
5000+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
12 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
240+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set cardamom in part sun with well-drained soil. Many fruit trees need a second variety nearby to pollinate — check before you plant just one.
Match the soil
Cardamom prefers pH 4.8 to 7 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Be patient, then harvest
Cardamom takes about one year to its first meaningful harvest. Prune annually while it establishes, and the tree will then crop for years.
Where Cardamom thrives
Cardamom is hardy across USDA zones 10 through 13. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 10–13 spans average winter lows from 30°F to 70°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 8 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 10–13·Where Cardamom growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
Where Cardamom stands, state by state
Cardamom is rated for zones 10–13 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 8 more, and 43 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
8 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
- Arizona · zones 5b-10b
3 of 8 shown
Cardamom’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Cardamom
Growing guides for cardamom
In rotation planning, cardamom counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — cardamom isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Cardamom offers low value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest cardamom, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant cardamom for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Cardamom's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Cardamom will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether cardamom actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Cardamom
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Cardamom in my zone?
Cardamom grows in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 13 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long until Cardamom bears fruit?
Cardamom typically takes about one year after planting to bear its first real crop, then produces for years. Soil, climate, and rootstock all shift the timeline.
When should you plant Cardamom?
Set cardamom out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Cardamom need?
Cardamom does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Cardamom need?
Cardamom prefers soil pH 4.8 to 7, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Cardamom attract pollinators?
Yes — cardamom's flowers are a modest nectar source for native bees.
Is Cardamom safe for pets?
Cardamom is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)