Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
sour orange (zones 9-11) does not overlap with Maryland's zone range (5b-8a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Sour Orange is hardy to zone 9, and the warmest ground in Maryland is zone 8 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Maryland winter. To grow it here, grow sour orange in a container and move it under cover for the coldest weeks, or give it a greenhouse.
Season extension and overwintering under cover both work at this margin. How to buy the weeks →
Zone math from 9-11 (plant) against 6-8 (Maryland). 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.
Maryland spans zones 5b-8a, 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 sour orange against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Sour Orange Needs
- USDA Zones: 9-11
- Frost-Free Days: 140+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Picking window: ~28 days of harvest
Maryland Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 18 - Mar 29
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 11 - Nov 27
- Annual Rainfall: 36-48 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay, Sandy loam (Eastern Shore)
Plant Zone Range (zones 9-11)
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 Sour Orange in Maryland
The frost window
Across Maryland, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 18 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 11 and Nov 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 227-day window you can count on — up to 254 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
Maryland runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for sour orange, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether sour orange is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Maryland; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Garrett 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 sour orange does not survive a Maryland 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 Maryland under protection.
Frost-free days
Sour Orange wants 140+ frost-free days; a typical Maryland site sees ~238 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
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
Sour Orange likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-8.3). That's the common-ground band across Maryland's silt loam and 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 Maryland soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Maryland 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 16.1% of Maryland as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Sour Orange sits mid-range for drought tolerance, so either extreme can 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. Maryland soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Sour Orange in Maryland — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 9-11 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 18 - Mar 29 to Nov 11 - Nov 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Sour Orange in Maryland
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Maryland growers also need to think about:
Heavy Piedmont clay drains poorly
Humidity and heat in summer promote disease
Deer pressure in suburban areas is extreme
Growing sour orange here specifically
Sour Orange likes pH 5.5–8.3 and takes cold to about 53°F, yet neither saves it from wet feet — SSURGO maps about 16.1% of Maryland poorly-drained, where its crown sit and rot.
Set sour orange high on bermed, grit-amended ground so winter and storm water drain away from the crown. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Maryland grower, not just sour orange — is covered on the Maryland growing guide.
Timing shifts within Maryland
Maryland isn't one climate. In Garrett County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 22 — roughly 29 days later than the recorded state median — so plant sour orange to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Sour Orange needs about 140 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Garrett County — Maryland’s shortest season at 190 frost-free days — clears that by 50 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Maryland. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Maryland’s 24 counties the frost-free season runs from 190 days in Garrett County to 270 days in Talbot County — a spread of 80 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Maryland county sees 238 frost-free days, leaving sour orange about 98 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
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"). Sour Orange's 140-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
Sour Orange draws honeybees (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, sour orange can only work that bloom inside Maryland's frost window — roughly 238 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 18 - Mar 29) and closing at the first (Nov 11 - Nov 27), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Good to Know Before You Plant Sour Orange
Sour Orange is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (leaves, stems, peel) at a mild level (ASPCA). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear.
Maryland Cooperative Extension
For Maryland-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for sour orange, the canonical source is University of Maryland Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Sour Orange native to Maryland?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sour Orange as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Maryland's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Maryland natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Maryland 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 Sour Orange in Maryland
When can I plant Sour Orange in Maryland?
Maryland's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 18 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 11 and Nov 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Sour Orange, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Maryland 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 Sour Orange grown in across Maryland?
Maryland spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Sour Orange carries a range of zones 9-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Maryland site have?
A typical Maryland site sees ~238 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Sour Orange needs 140+ 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 Garrett, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Sour Orange native to Maryland?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sour Orange as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Maryland's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Maryland natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Sour Orange in Maryland?
Sour Orange prefers pH 5.5-8.3 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Maryland soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Sour Orange actually grow on my specific land in Maryland?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores sour orange 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 Maryland
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores sour orange against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Maryland sour orange averages can't show:
We read public map data around Maryland — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Maryland sour orange average
Explore More
Growing guides for sour orange
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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