GardenPerennial Fruit Tree · zones 4–9 · 18 varieties
Mulberry
Morus spp.
Moraceae — the same plant family as fig. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Mulberry (Morus spp.) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 4–9. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–7.5 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. Watch for borers and bacterial blight. Below: its full sourced profile from 4 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Hardiness zones
- 4–9
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5est
- Soil texture
- Loam, Sandy, Clay, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Hardy
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 25–60 ft
- Mature spread
- 30–50 ft
- Growth rate
- Fastest
- Spacing in row
- 96–360 inest
- Between rows
- 120–420 inest
- Planting depth
- At soil levelest
- Container size
- 15–25 gal — start at the low end, pot up as it growsest
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Transplant, Cutting, Layering, Seed
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Low
- Water per week
- 1 in/wkest
- Critical water
- Establishment, Fruit setest
- Feeding
- Low
Timing & fruiting
- Pollination
- Needs pollinizer
- Harvest cues
- Fruit coloring
There is no line here for how much winter cold it needs, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.
Edible parts per source: fruit.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PeopleLow severity, Toxic unripe fruit, Toxic sap, Gi upset, Hallucinations, Contact dermatitis
PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats, Non toxic to horses
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
| Variety | Type | Habit | Days | Color | Size | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beautiful Day | White | — | White | |||
| Black Beauty | Black | Dwarf | — | Black | Large | |
| Collier Heirloom | Red | — | Black | Large | Flora Fauna Farm describes this asgives a heavy crop | |
| Contorted Heirloom | Ornamental | — | Purple | NC State Extension (Plant Toolbox) records this asgrown to look at | ||
| Dwarf Everbearing | Bush | — | Dave Wilson Nursery describes this ashappy in a pot · small enough for a pot | |||
| Gerardi Dwarf | Dwarf | — | Edible Landscaping describes this asno thorns | |||
| Illinois Everbearing Heirloom | Hybrid | — | Black | Large | NC State Extension (Plant Toolbox) records this astakes the cold | |
| Kokuso 21 Heirloom | — | Purple | Large | One Green World describes this astakes the cold | ||
| Oscar's Heirloom | — | Bicolor | ||||
| Pakistan Heirloom | — | Red | Very Large | |||
| Persian Black Heirloom | Black | — | Black | |||
| Shangri-La | White | — | Black | Large | ||
| Silk Hope Heirloom | Hybrid | — | Black | Large | ||
| Tehama Heirloom | White | — | White | |||
| Weeping Heirloom | Ornamental | Dwarf | — | Bicolor | Small | |
| Wellington Heirloom | — | Black | One Green World describes this astakes the cold | |||
| White | White | — | White | Medium | ||
| World's Best Heirloom | Bush | — | Purple | Medium | Trees of Joy describes this assmall enough for a pot · happy in a pot · gives a heavy crop |
- NC State Extension
- NC State Extension (Plant Toolbox)
- University of Florida IFAS Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 11 of the 20 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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