Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
cashew (zones 10-12) does not overlap with Tennessee's zone range (6a-8a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Cashew is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in Tennessee is zone 8 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Tennessee winter. To grow it here, grow cashew in an earth-sheltered greenhouse — its modeled 2.5-zone lift covers this gap.
An earth-sheltered greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 10-12 (plant) against 6-8 (Tennessee). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['earth_sheltered'] (+2.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Cashew in Tennessee — the short answer
Cashew in Tennessee: hardy in zones 10–12, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 10-12
- Not verified
- Tennessee zones
- 6a-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 21 - Mar 29 – Nov 5 - Nov 12
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 193 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Tennessee spans zones 6a-8a, 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 cashew against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
Tennessee is not one climate
Tennessee’s winter-low ladder runs across 95 counties, from zone 7 in Carter County to zone 8 in Tipton County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between cashew overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 95 counties runs 7.5–7.5 zones, with a median of 7.5 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.
Measured across 95 Tennessee counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where Cashew Stands in Tennessee
Cashew is rated for zones 10–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. No Tennessee county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Tennessee winters, not about cashew.
Below the zone 10 floor
95 counties
- Carter County · zone 7a
- Cheatham County · zone 7a
- Claiborne County · zone 7a
3 of 95 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Cashew Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-12
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 35 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: MediumWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Tennessee Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 21 - Mar 29
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 5 - Nov 12
- Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Limestone-derived
Plant Zone Range (zones 10-12)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Cashew in Tennessee
The frost window
Across Tennessee, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 21 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 221-day window you can count on — up to 236 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
Tennessee runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for cashew, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether cashew is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Tennessee; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Johnson County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. 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 cashew does not survive a Tennessee 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 Tennessee under protection.
Growing degree days
Cashew needs ~5000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~4122 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Tennessee's typical season runs short on heat — pick a south-facing site and consider season extension.
Chill hours
Cashew has no winter-chill requirement — its listed minimum is 0 hours (Growable Ground Plant Database). Tennessee typically banks ~2040 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
Cashew tolerates a wide pH range (pH 3.8-8.7) — 4.9 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Tennessee. 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 4.5 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Tennessee soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Tennessee site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost.
Your land, not the state average
Tennessee's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Cashew 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 cashew performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Tennessee soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant cashew for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before cashew goes in. What follows is Tennessee’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Tennessee — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Tennessee — 22,517 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 321 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Tennessee carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Tennessee
Severity Distribution
across Tennessee
Highest-Severity Sites
Know Before You Grow
- •Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
- •TRI facilities report what they release. Check the wind — downwind beds catch more of it.
- •Mine waste leaches heavy metals. Test for lead, arsenic and cadmium before growing food here.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Cashew in Tennessee
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Tennessee growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Nashville Basin
High humidity promotes disease in summer
Variable spring weather with late frost risk
Growing cashew here specifically
Cashew needs pH 3.8–8.7; Tennessee's dominant silt loam soils may or may not deliver that, so your parcel's SSURGO map unit is the real test.
Start with a soil test on your own ground and adjust pH and texture to fit cashew's 3.8–8.7 range. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Tennessee grower, not just cashew — is covered on the Tennessee growing guide.
Timing shifts within Tennessee
Tennessee isn't one climate. In Johnson County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 14 — roughly 21 days later than the recorded state median — so plant cashew to your county's window, not the statewide date.
County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Tennessee Cashew Is Zone-Hardy
Cashew is rated for USDA zones 10–12. No Tennessee county reaches it. Even Tipton County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 8a, sits below the plant’s zone 10 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 95 counties Tennessee’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 7a in Carter County to zone 8a in Tipton County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band cashew needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Cashew’s zone 10–12 band: Not verified. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Cashew draws honeybees (moderate value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, cashew can only work that bloom inside Tennessee's frost window — roughly 230 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 21 - Mar 29) and closing at the first (Nov 5 - Nov 12), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Good to Know Before You Plant Cashew
Cashew is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (shell, sap) at a mild level. (Source: Cornell Poisonous Plants Database.) Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear.
Tennessee Cooperative Extension
For Tennessee-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for cashew, the canonical source is UT Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Cashew native to Tennessee?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cashew as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Tennessee's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Tennessee natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Tennessee growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Tennessee and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Cashew in Tennessee
When can I plant Cashew in Tennessee?
Tennessee's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 21 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Cashew, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Tennessee 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 Cashew grown in across Tennessee?
Tennessee spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Cashew is listed for zones 10-12, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in Tennessee where this page can call outdoor growing reliable. A parcel report resolves your own address's zone.
How many frost-free days does a typical Tennessee site have?
A typical Tennessee site sees ~230 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Cashew needs 190+ 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 Johnson, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Cashew native to Tennessee?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cashew as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Tennessee's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Tennessee natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Cashew in Tennessee?
Cashew tolerates pH 3.8-8.7 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 4.9-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Tennessee site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Cashew actually grow on my specific land in Tennessee?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores cashew against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Tennessee
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores cashew against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Tennessee cashew averages can't show:
We read public map data around Tennessee — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Tennessee cashew average
Explore More
Growing guides for cashew
Explore Tennessee county by county
Tennessee carries 95 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for cashew there:
Where else cashew grows
Cashew's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Tennessee in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Tennessee
Tennessee has a growing page for 1,011 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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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