Sugar Maple is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 8. Its mid spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Sugar Maple — the short answer
Sugar Maple: grown in zones 3–8, full sun, pH 5.3–7.3.
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- 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
- 5.3–7.3
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 30.2°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 Sugar Maple on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether sugar maple actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score sugar maple against your land's real conditions.
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What Sugar Maple is
Sugar Maple grows as a perennial and reaches around 100 feet at maturity. It blooms green in mid spring.
How to grow Sugar Maple
Sugar Maple grows in USDA zones 3 through 8. Sugar Maple does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.3 to 7.3, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 130 frost-free days and about 1200 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-8
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.3 - 7.3
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.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
39.2°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
100 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
1200+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
130+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set sugar maple in full sun with well-drained soil. Many fruit trees need a second variety nearby to pollinate — check before you plant just one.
Match the soil
Sugar Maple prefers pH 5.3 to 7.3 (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.
Be patient, then harvest
Prune annually while the tree establishes; fruit trees reward patience with years of harvest. Local Extension guides publish per-cultivar bearing-age tables.
Where Sugar Maple thrives
Sugar Maple is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 8. 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 3–8 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 34 outright and splits 17 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–8·Where Sugar Maple growsOpen map →
Where Sugar Maple stands, state by state
Sugar Maple is rated for zones 3–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 34 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 17 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–8
34 states
3 of 34 shown
The line runs through
17 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 17 shown
Sugar Maple’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.
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 Sugar Maple
Growing guides for sugar maple
In rotation planning, sugar maple 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 — sugar maple isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Sugar Maple offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Sugar Maple'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 Sugar Maple will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether sugar maple 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.
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How we know this about Sugar Maple
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 Sugar Maple in my zone?
Sugar Maple grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8 (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 Sugar Maple?
Set sugar maple out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Sugar Maple need?
Sugar Maple 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 Sugar Maple need?
Sugar Maple prefers soil pH 5.3 to 7.3, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Sugar Maple attract pollinators?
Yes — sugar maple's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Sugar Maple safe for pets?
Sugar Maple is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)