Conditional — Some Areas
paper mulberry (zones 6-10) reaches only part of Iowa (4b-6a): zone 6 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Paper Mulberry in Iowa — the short answer
Paper Mulberry in Iowa: hardy in zones 6–10, full sun, against a state median of ~189 frost-free days.
- Plant 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
- Iowa zones
- 4b-6a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 10 - Apr 17 – Oct 18 - Oct 23
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 168 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Iowa spans zones 4b-6a, 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 paper mulberry against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Iowa is not one climate
Iowa’s winter-low ladder runs across 99 counties, from zone 4.5 in Clayton County to zone 6 in Lee County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between paper mulberry overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 99 counties runs 5–5.5 zones, with a median of 5 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 99 Iowa counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Iowa Fits Best
Paper Mulberry is rated for zones 6–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Against Iowa’s 99 counties that band holds in 2 of them, and the line runs at Des Moines County (zone 6a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 6–10
2 counties
0 of 2 shown
Below the zone 6 floor
97 counties
- Clayton County · zone 4b
- Howard County · zone 4b
- Winneshiek County · zone 4b
3 of 97 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within Iowa's zones 4b-6a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for paper mulberry (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Paper Mulberry Needs
- USDA Zones: 6-10
- Sun: Full Sun
Iowa Has
- USDA Zones: 4b-6a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 10 - Apr 17
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 18 - Oct 23
- Annual Rainfall: 26-36 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loess, Silt loam, Clay loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 6-10)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Paper Mulberry in Iowa
The frost window
Across Iowa, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 10 and Apr 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 18 and Oct 23 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 184-day window you can count on — up to 196 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
Iowa runs as cold as USDA zone 4, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for paper mulberry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether paper mulberry is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Iowa; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Paper Mulberry tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-8) — 3.5 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Iowa. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 7.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Iowa soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Iowa site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Iowa soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant paper mulberry for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before paper mulberry goes in. What follows is Iowa’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Iowa — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Iowa — 28,062 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 122 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Iowa carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Iowa
Severity Distribution
across Iowa
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Iowa, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 8,028 sites across Iowa. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.
Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.
Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Paper Mulberry in Iowa
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Iowa growers also need to think about:
Cold winters reaching -20F or below
Variable spring weather delays planting
Wind exposure on open prairies desiccates plants
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Iowa grower, not just paper mulberry — is covered on the Iowa growing guide.
Where in Iowa Paper Mulberry Is Zone-Hardy
Paper Mulberry is rated for USDA zones 6–10. 2 of Iowa’s 99 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Des Moines County at zone 6a. 97 counties sit below the plant’s zone 6 floor, where an unprotected plant is relying on snow cover and a mild year. Where you are in Iowa decides this one.
Across those 99 counties Iowa’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4b in Clayton County to zone 6a in Lee County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Howard County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 24, while Lee County is clear by Apr 1 — 23 days apart. Set paper mulberry out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Paper Mulberry’s zone 6–10 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Iowa Cooperative Extension
For Iowa-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for paper mulberry, the canonical source is Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Paper Mulberry native to Iowa?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Paper Mulberry as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Iowa's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Iowa natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Iowa growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Paper Mulberry in Iowa
When can I plant Paper Mulberry in Iowa?
Iowa's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 10 and Apr 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 18 and Oct 23 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Paper Mulberry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Iowa 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 Paper Mulberry grown in across Iowa?
Iowa spans USDA hardiness zones 4b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Paper Mulberry carries a range of zones 6-10, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Iowa site have?
A typical Iowa site sees ~189 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Paper Mulberry should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Paper Mulberry native to Iowa?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Paper Mulberry as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Iowa's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Iowa natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Paper Mulberry in Iowa?
Paper Mulberry tolerates pH 4.5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.5-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Iowa site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Paper Mulberry actually grow on my specific land in Iowa?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores paper mulberry 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 Iowa
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores paper mulberry against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Iowa paper mulberry averages can't show:
We read public map data around Iowa — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Iowa paper mulberry average
Explore More
Growing guides for paper mulberry
Explore Iowa county by county
Iowa carries 99 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for paper mulberry there:
Where else paper mulberry grows
Paper Mulberry's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Iowa in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Iowa
Iowa has a growing page for 806 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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