Tea is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 7 through 9 and shrugs off deer. Its spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Tea — the short answer
Tea: grown in zones 7–9, full sun, pH 4–6.
- USDA zones
- 7–9
- 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
- 4–6
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 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 Tea on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether tea actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score tea against your land's real conditions.
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What Tea is
Tea grows as a perennial and reaches around 15 feet at maturity. It blooms in spring. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Tea
Tea grows in USDA zones 7 through 9. Tea does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 6, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 240 frost-free days and about 0 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
7-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4 - 6
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
46.4°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
15 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
0+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
240+
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 tea 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
Tea prefers pH 4 to 6 (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 Tea thrives
Tea is hardy across USDA zones 7 through 9. 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 7–9 spans average winter lows from 0°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 6 outright and splits 35 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 7–9·Where Tea growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Tea stands, state by state
Tea is rated for zones 7–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at 0 to 10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 6 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 35 more, and 10 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 7–9
6 states
- Alabama · zones 7b-9b
- Delaware · zones 7a-8a
- District of Columbia · zones 7b-8a
3 of 6 shown
The line runs through
35 states
3 of 35 shown
Tea’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 7–9
10 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- Montana · zones 3a-6b
- New Hampshire · zones 3b-6b
3 of 10 shown
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 Tea
Growing guides for tea
In rotation planning, tea 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 — tea isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Tea offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Tea'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 Tea will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether tea 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 Tea
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 Tea in my zone?
Tea grows in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 9 (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 Tea?
Set tea 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 Tea need?
Tea 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 Tea need?
Tea prefers soil pH 4 to 6, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Tea attract pollinators?
Yes — tea's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees.
Is Tea safe for pets?
Tea is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Tea
Tea state by state
Every state tea's zone reaches — 26 link straight to that state's tea growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.