Quince in Zone 5a & 5b
Cydonia oblonga
Yes, quince grows in zones 5a and 5b and comes back each year. Set out nursery plants May 10–May 17.
When to plant quince in zone 5b
Zones 5a and 5b share the same average frost dates, so this page covers both.
Method: Buy as a start: Buy as a nursery start and transplant outside. It's slow or unreliable from seed, so most gardeners skip seed-starting it entirely.
| Start indoors | Not started from seed; buy as a nursery start |
|---|---|
| Direct sow / transplant outside | May 10–May 17 |
| Estimated harvest | First real harvest in year 4 |
Spacing: about 50 square feet per plant (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 10-15 ft.
Before you plant: Quince has a winter-hardiness note for zone 5b. See the details below.
Plant alongside it in zone 5b
These go outside within two weeks of quince in zone 5b, so one planting day can cover them.
- MulberryMay 10–May 17
- PawpawMay 10–May 17
- AppleApr 26–May 3
- ApricotApr 26–May 3
- Aronia (Black Chokeberry)Apr 26–May 3
- ElderberryApr 26–May 3
Quince is easy to confuse with the thornier, purely ornamental flowering quince (Chaenomeles) sold for its spring blooms, but this is the true fruiting quince, grown for its intensely fragrant, golden fruit used almost entirely for jelly and preserves rather than eaten fresh off the tree.
How quince fits zone 5's season
Zone 5b's frost-free window runs about 148 days, from May 10 to October 5. Quince takes about 3 growing seasons to reach first worthwhile harvest, so what matters here is how many of these seasons it gets, not whether one is long enough.
Quince is hardy in zones 5-9, so in zone 5b it stays in the ground through winter and comes back rather than being replanted. Allow about 8 ft of spread at maturity.
Quince planting windows in every zone
Zone 5b is highlighted. Useful for comparing against a neighbouring zone, or for a garden somewhere else.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5a & 5b (your zone) | Buy as a start | May 10–May 17 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 6a & 6b | Buy as a start | Apr 25–May 2 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 7a & 7b | Buy as a start | Apr 10–Apr 17 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 8a & 8b | Buy as a start | Mar 25–Apr 1 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 9a & 9b | Buy as a start | Feb 15–Feb 22 | First real harvest in year 4 |
Good companions
No well-established companions for quince.
Where to buy quince starts
Quince is almost always bought as a nursery start rather than seeded. Check a local nursery or garden center; we haven't vetted online start/plant suppliers yet.
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing quince" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Quince in USDA zone 5b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a harvest.
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