Crop

Where can I grow pecan?

Carya illinoinensis · Nut · Perennial

Pecan is a great fit (80+) on 15.6 million km² (6.0 million sq mi) of land in 65 countries, 53% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Texas, United States, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Hunan, China. Where it can't grow, it's usually not enough winter chill (66%) and winters get too cold (20%).

Crop fit≤5075100Uncolored land: won't grow

Tap the map for the score at any spot. Each square is a 28 km (17 mile) grid cell.

Great fit (80+): 15.6M km²(6.0M sq mi); 11% of land
Worth a try (50–79): 3.2M km²(1.2M sq mi); 2% of land
Great fit without irrigation: 7.1M km²(2.7M sq mi); Rain alone is enough
Countries: 65; With great-fit land

Regions with the most suitable land

1
🇺🇸Texas, United States
Great fit on 406k km² (157k sq mi) · worth a try on 32k km² (12k sq mi)
For example Dallas (100), Fort Worth (100)
2
🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina
Great fit on 219k km² (84k sq mi) · worth a try on 46k km² (18k sq mi)
For example Avellaneda (100), Merlo (100)
3
🇨🇳Hunan, China
Great fit on 183k km² (71k sq mi)
For example Changsha (100), Changde (100)
4
🇨🇳Shandong, China
Great fit on 180k km² (70k sq mi)
For example Linyi (100), Tai’an (100)
5
🇺🇸California, United States
Great fit on 168k km² (65k sq mi) · worth a try on 31k km² (12k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Redding (100), Cameron Park (100)
6
🇨🇳Hubei, China
Great fit on 167k km² (64k sq mi) · worth a try on 2,700 km² (1,000 sq mi)
For example Wuhan (100), Shiyan (100)
7
🇺🇸Georgia, United States
Great fit on 147k km² (57k sq mi) · worth a try on 6,600 km² (2,500 sq mi)
For example Atlanta (100), Columbus (100)
8
🇦🇺New South Wales, Australia
Great fit on 128k km² (49k sq mi) · worth a try on 16k km² (6,100 sq mi)
For example Hornsby (100), Muswellbrook (100)
9
🇵🇰Balochistan, Pakistan
Great fit on 119k km² (46k sq mi) · worth a try on 15k km² (5,800 sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Quetta (100), Chaman (100)
10
🇦🇷Cordoba, Argentina
Great fit on 112k km² (43k sq mi) · worth a try on 11k km² (4,100 sq mi)
For example Córdoba (100), Río Cuarto (100)
11
🇪🇸Andalusia, Spain
Great fit on 98k km² (38k sq mi) · worth a try on 1,200 km² (500 sq mi)
For example Barbate (100), Conil de la Frontera (100)
12
🇮🇷Razavi Khorasan, Iran
Great fit on 95k km² (37k sq mi) · worth a try on 6,900 km² (2,700 sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Mashhad (100), Sabzevar (100)
13
🇮🇷Kerman, Iran
Great fit on 93k km² (36k sq mi) · worth a try on 8,700 km² (3,400 sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Kerman (100), Sirjan (100)
14
🇮🇷Fars, Iran
Great fit on 79k km² (31k sq mi) · worth a try on 15k km² (5,700 sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Shiraz (100), Marvdasht (100)
15
🇿🇦Free State, South Africa
Great fit on 79k km² (31k sq mi) · worth a try on 12k km² (4,500 sq mi)
For example Villiers (100), Heilbron (100)

Regions are states and provinces, counting land within 75 km of a town. At most three per country, so the list covers the world.

By country

🇺🇸United States2.4M km² (924k sq mi) · 43% of its land
🇨🇳China2.2M km² (849k sq mi) · 39% of its land
🇮🇷Iran846k km² (327k sq mi) · 61% of its land
🇦🇷Argentina693k km² (268k sq mi) · 44% of its land
🇩🇿Algeria441k km² (170k sq mi) · 75% of its land
🇿🇦South Africa349k km² (135k sq mi) · 41% of its land
🇦🇺Australia309k km² (119k sq mi) · 38% of its land
🇹🇷Turkey301k km² (116k sq mi) · 36% of its land
🇪🇸Spain300k km² (116k sq mi) · 53% of its land
🇲🇦Morocco261k km² (101k sq mi) · 63% of its land

Best-suited towns

100%fit
Jingmen
🇨🇳 Hubei, China
100%fit
Chengdu
🇨🇳 Sichuan, China
100%fit
Antakya
🇹🇷 Hatay, Turkey
100%fit
Dallas
🇺🇸 Texas, United States
100%fit
Chuzhou
🇨🇳 Anhui, China
100%fit
Yancheng
🇨🇳 Jiangsu, China
100%fit
Zhenjiang
🇨🇳 Jiangsu, China
100%fit
Guangyuan
🇨🇳 Sichuan, China
100%fit
Songjiang
🇨🇳 Shanghai, China
100%fit
Fengxiang
🇨🇳 Shanghai, China
100%fit
Chongming
🇨🇳 China
100%fit
Suizhou
🇨🇳 Hubei, China

The most comfortable fits among the 2,000 biggest towns, two per region.

What pecan needs

Winter chill (9 winters in 10): Ideal at least 30 portionsWon't grow below 18 portions
Coldest night of the year (average): Ideal at least 0°F (-18°C)Won't grow below -9°F (-23°C)
Frost-free days: Ideal at least 210 daysWon't grow below 180 days
Degree days above 50°F (10°C): Ideal at least 4,320 °F·days (2,400 °C·days)Won't grow below 3,240 °F·days (1,800 °C·days)
Yearly rain: Ideal 30–59 in (750–1,500 mm)Won't grow below 18 in (450 mm) or above 98 in (2,500 mm)

Needs a long, hot season to fill the nuts.

Sources: Wells 2017, Pecan: America's Native Nut Tree (University of Alabama Press); FAO ECOCROP: Carya illinoinensis. Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

What stops it elsewhere

Not enough winter chill66%
Winters get too cold20%
Frost-free season too short8%
Not enough summer heat6%

Share of the land scoring under 50, by what holds it back most.

How this map works

Every 28 km square of land is scored 0–100 against the requirements above, using 1991–2020 monthly climate averages with frost, chill and heat estimated by simulating daily weather. Each square is scored with whichever variety fits it best. “With irrigation” ignores rain shortfalls; “Rain-fed only” counts them.

Climate is only part of it: soil, slope, water and markets decide where a crop is actually farmed. Use this to shortlist places, then check them locally.