Marionberry is a perennial grown for its fruit. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 9. Its early spring flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies, even though the fruit is the prize. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Marionberry — the short answer
Marionberry: grown in zones 6–9, full sun, pH 4.5–7.8. It also needs ~300 winter chill hours to fruit (Mississippi State University Extension P3067).
- USDA zones
- 6–9
- 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
- 4.5–7.8
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 30.2°F
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Winter chill needed
- ~300 hrs
- Mississippi State University Extension P3067
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 Marionberry on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether marionberry actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score marionberry against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
What Marionberry is
Marionberry grows as a perennial and reaches around five feet at maturity. It blooms white in early spring.
How to grow Marionberry
Marionberry grows in USDA zones 6 through 9. Marionberry does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 7.8, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,800 growing degree days to mature, a growing season of at least 120 frost-free days, and about 300 hours of winter chill to set fruit, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
6-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 7.8
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
30.2°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
Growable Ground Plant Database
Minimum Growing Temperature
41°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
Growable Ground Plant Database
GDD Required
1800+
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
5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
300+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
120+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant marionberry in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Marionberry prefers pH 4.5 to 7.8 (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
Pick when the fruit is full-colored and parts easily from the stem. Local Cooperative Extension guides publish timing tables.
Where Marionberry thrives
Marionberry is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 9. 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 6–9 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 14 outright and splits 34 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–9·Where Marionberry growsOpen map →
Where Marionberry stands, state by state
Marionberry is rated for zones 6–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 14 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 34 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–9
14 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 14 shown
The line runs through
34 states
3 of 34 shown
Marionberry’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.
Outside zones 6–9
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
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 Marionberry
Growing guides for marionberry
In rotation planning, marionberry 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 — marionberry isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Marionberry is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Xerces Society.)
Before you harvest marionberry, 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 marionberry 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 Marionberry'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 Marionberry will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether marionberry 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.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Marionberry
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 Marionberry in my zone?
Marionberry grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 9 (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 Marionberry?
Most growers plant marionberry after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 120-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 Marionberry need?
Marionberry 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 Marionberry need?
Marionberry prefers soil pH 4.5 to 7.8, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Marionberry attract pollinators?
Yes — marionberry's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Xerces Society.)
Is Marionberry safe for pets?
Marionberry is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)