Cassava is a perennial grown for its root, ready to pull about 270 days after sowing. It's hardy across USDA zones 8 through 12 and stands up to deer. Its indeterminate flowers are a modest draw for honeybees, even though the root is the prize.
Cassava — the short answer
Cassava: grown in zones 8–12, full sun, pH 4–9, about 270 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 8–12
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 10a–12b
- Soil pH
- 4–9
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 270 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 32°F
- FAO ECOCROP
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 Cassava on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether cassava actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score cassava against your land's real conditions.
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What Cassava is
Cassava grows as a perennial and reaches around eight feet at maturity. It blooms green in indeterminate. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Cassava
Cassava grows in USDA zones 8 through 12 and is ready to harvest about 270 days after planting. Cassava does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 9, on well-drained ground. It needs around 4,000 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
8-12
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 10a–12b
Soil pH
4 - 9
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
32°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
50°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
270 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
4000+
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
8 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Sow directly
Sow cassava seed straight into the bed — root crops germinate fast and resent transplanting. Give them full sun.
Match the soil
Cassava prefers pH 4 to 9 (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.
Harvest at maturity
Cassava is ready about 270 days after sowing. Pull while roots are young and tender — sweeter than oversized ones.
Where Cassava thrives
Cassava is hardy across USDA zones 8 through 12. 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 8–12 spans average winter lows from 10°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 2 outright and splits 26 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Two different numbers hide in that range: zones 8–12 is where cassava is GROWN, but it survives winter in the ground only down to zone 10 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). Colder than that, it is grown as an annual or brought under cover.
Zones 8–12·Where Cassava growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Cassava stands, state by state
Cassava is rated for zones 8–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 2 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 26 more, and 23 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
26 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 26 shown
Cassava’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 Cassava
Growing guides for cassava
Related plants in vegetable
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — cassava is toxic to dogs and cats (severe severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Cornell Poisonous Plants Database.)
Cassava offers low value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest cassava, 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 cassava for food. Our free screen reads 8 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 Cassava'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 Cassava will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether cassava 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 Cassava
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•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Cassava in my zone?
Cassava grows in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 12. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Cassava take to grow?
Cassava is ready to harvest about 270 days after planting. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Cassava?
Most growers plant cassava after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Cassava need?
Cassava needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Cassava need?
Cassava prefers soil pH 4 to 9, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Cassava attract pollinators?
Yes — cassava's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees.
Is Cassava safe for pets?
Cassava is toxic to dogs and cats with severe severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Cornell Poisonous Plants Database.)
Keep exploring Cassava
Cassava state by state
Every state cassava's zone reaches — 12 link straight to that state's cassava growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.