Coffee Senna is a perennial grown for its fruit. It's hardy across USDA zones 12 through 13, stands up to deer and handles dry spells once it's established. Its flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the fruit is the prize. A nitrogen-fixer, it draws nitrogen from the air and feeds it back to the soil — turn it under or leave the roots in place, and the next planting inherits a richer bed.
Zones
12-13
pH Range
4.5-8.4
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
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What Coffee Senna is
Coffee Senna grows as a perennial and reaches around eight feet at maturity. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Coffee Senna
Coffee Senna grows in USDA zones 12 through 13. Coffee Senna does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8.4, on evenly moist to well-drained ground. It needs around 3,000 growing degree days to mature, a growing season of at least 210 frost-free days, and about 0 hours of winter chill to set fruit, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
12-13
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8.4
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
plant_species_v5.csv
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells)
plant_species_v5.csv
Frost Tolerance
48.2°F
plant_species_v5.csv
GDD Required
3000+
plant_species_v5.csv
Mature Height
8 ft
plant_species_v5.csv
Chill Hours
0+
plant_species_v5.csv
Frost-Free Days
210+
plant_species_v5.csv
Start the season right
Plant coffee senna in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Coffee Senna prefers pH 4.5 to 8.4 (USDA PLANTS Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band. It fixes its own nitrogen, so skip the high-nitrogen feed and instead dust the seed with a matching rhizobium inoculant at sowing.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Pick when the fruit is full-colored and parts easily from the stem. Local Cooperative Extension guides publish timing tables.
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — coffee senna is toxic to dogs and cats (moderate severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Coffee Senna offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership.)
Where Coffee Senna thrives
Coffee Senna is hardy across USDA zones 12 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.
Zones 12–13·Where Coffee Senna growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Coffee Senna can grow in these states:
See if Coffee Senna will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether coffee senna 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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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Coffee Senna in my zone?
Coffee Senna grows in USDA hardiness zones 12 through 13 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Coffee Senna?
Most growers plant coffee senna after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 210-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Coffee Senna need?
Coffee Senna 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 Coffee Senna need?
Coffee Senna prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8.4, on evenly moist to well-drained ground (USDA PLANTS Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Coffee Senna attract pollinators?
Yes — coffee senna's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees (Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership).
Is Coffee Senna safe for pets?
Coffee Senna is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with moderate severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency.