Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
nutmeg (zones 11-12) does not overlap with Mississippi's zone range (7b-9b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Nutmeg is hardy to zone 11, and the warmest ground in Mississippi is zone 9 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Mississippi winter. To grow it here, grow nutmeg under glass — a greenhouse is the only lift this wide the engine models.
A greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 11-12 (plant) against 7-9 (Mississippi). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Mississippi spans zones 7b-9b, 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 nutmeg against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Nutmeg Needs
- USDA Zones: 11-12
- Frost-Free Days: 365+
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 40 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Mississippi Has
- USDA Zones: 7b-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 17 - Mar 3
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 21 - Nov 30
- Annual Rainfall: 50-65 inches
- Common Soils: Loess, Alluvial clay, Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 11-12)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Nutmeg in Mississippi
The frost window
Across Mississippi, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 21 and Nov 30 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 263-day window you can count on — up to 286 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
Mississippi runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for nutmeg, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether nutmeg is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Mississippi; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Tishomingo County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. 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 nutmeg does not survive a Mississippi 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 Mississippi under protection.
Frost-free days
Nutmeg wants 365+ frost-free days; a typical Mississippi site sees ~273 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 92 days short of what it needs. A typical Mississippi season does not carry this crop to harvest outdoors, and a gap that size is not one an earlier sowing date or a faster cultivar closes; growing it here means growing it under cover.
Growing degree days
Nutmeg needs ~5500 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~5404 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Mississippi's typical season runs short on heat — pick a south-facing site and consider season extension.
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
Nutmeg likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Mississippi's loess and alluvial clay — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Mississippi soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Mississippi site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 30.3% of Mississippi as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Nutmeg has low drought tolerance, so it is the fast-draining end that will cost you — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Mississippi soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Nutmeg in Mississippi — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 11-12 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 7b-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Feb 17 - Mar 3 to Nov 21 - Nov 30 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
- Days to Maturity: 365 days
What Else to Consider for Nutmeg in Mississippi
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Mississippi growers also need to think about:
Extreme summer heat and humidity
Heavy alluvial clay in the Delta region
Frequent severe storms and flooding
Growing nutmeg here specifically
Nutmeg rates to USDA zones 11–12 and is hardy to about 53°F, but cold isn't the risk in Mississippi — wet is: with roughly 30.3% of its soils poorly-drained (SSURGO), soggy ground rots the crown.
Give nutmeg a raised bed or mounded row with coarse amendment so its crown never sit wet. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Mississippi grower, not just nutmeg — is covered on the Mississippi growing guide.
Timing shifts within Mississippi
Mississippi isn't one climate. In Tishomingo County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Mar 23 — roughly 26 days later than the recorded state median — so plant nutmeg to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Nutmeg needs about 365 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. No Mississippi county gives it that outdoors: even Harrison County, the state’s longest season at 309 frost-free days, falls 56 days short — so it needs transplants, a short-season variety, or covered growing.
Across Mississippi’s 82 counties the frost-free season runs from 232 days in Tishomingo County to 309 days in Harrison County — a spread of 77 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Mississippi county sees 273 frost-free days, which is 92 days short of what nutmeg needs — so on a typical Mississippi parcel this is a transplant-or-protect crop, not a direct-sow one.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Nutmeg's 365-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Nutmeg draws native bees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, nutmeg can only work that bloom inside Mississippi's frost window — roughly 273 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 17 - Mar 3) and closing at the first (Nov 21 - Nov 30), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Good to Know Before You Plant Nutmeg
Nutmeg is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (seeds) at a moderate level (ASPCA). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear.
Recommended Nutmeg Varieties for Mississippi
Mississippi publishes no state variety trial for nutmeg, so we won't invent a "best for Mississippi" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (7b-9b), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Mississippi Cooperative Extension
For Mississippi-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for nutmeg, the canonical source is Mississippi State University Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Nutmeg in Mississippi
When can I plant Nutmeg in Mississippi?
Mississippi's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 21 and Nov 30 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Nutmeg, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Mississippi 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 Nutmeg grown in across Mississippi?
Mississippi spans USDA hardiness zones 7b-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Nutmeg carries a range of zones 11-12, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Mississippi site have?
A typical Mississippi site sees ~273 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Nutmeg needs 365+ 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 Tishomingo, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Nutmeg in Mississippi?
Nutmeg prefers pH 5.5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Mississippi soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Nutmeg actually grow on my specific land in Mississippi?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores nutmeg against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Mississippi
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores nutmeg against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Mississippi nutmeg averages can't show:
We read public map data around Mississippi — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Mississippi nutmeg average
Explore More
Growing guides for nutmeg
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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