Paper Mulberry is a perennial grown for its fruit. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Paper Mulberry — the short answer
Paper Mulberry: grown in zones 6–10, full sun, pH 4.5–8.
- USDA zones
- 6–10
- 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
- 4.5–8
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 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 Paper Mulberry on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether paper mulberry actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score paper mulberry 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 Paper Mulberry is
Paper Mulberry grows as a perennial.
How to grow Paper Mulberry
Paper Mulberry grows in USDA zones 6 through 10. Paper Mulberry does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
6-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8
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
53.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Frost-Free Days
0+
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 paper mulberry in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Paper Mulberry prefers pH 4.5 to 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 Paper Mulberry thrives
Paper Mulberry is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10. 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 6–10 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 40°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 16 outright and splits 32 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–10·Where Paper Mulberry growsOpen map →
Where Paper Mulberry stands, state by state
Paper Mulberry is rated for zones 6–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 16 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 32 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–10
16 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 16 shown
The line runs through
32 states
3 of 32 shown
Paper Mulberry’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 6–10
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 Paper Mulberry
Growing guides for paper mulberry
In rotation planning, paper mulberry 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 — paper mulberry isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Paper Mulberry isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Before you harvest paper mulberry, 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 paper mulberry 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 Paper Mulberry'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 Paper Mulberry will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether paper mulberry 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 Paper Mulberry
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 Paper Mulberry in my zone?
Paper Mulberry grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10 (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 Paper Mulberry?
Most growers plant paper mulberry 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 Paper Mulberry need?
Paper Mulberry 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 Paper Mulberry need?
Paper Mulberry prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Paper Mulberry attract pollinators?
Paper Mulberry isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Is Paper Mulberry safe for pets?
Paper Mulberry is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)