Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba • Ginkgoaceae
🌱 Seed Category
Tree
🌍 Origin Region
China, widely adapted globally in temperate zones
📅 Days to Maturity
Ginkgo trees are slow-growing and can take 20 or more years to reach maturity and produce seeds, though they serve as landscape shade trees much earlier.
🌡️ Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 8, tolerating cold down to -40°F.
About This Seed
The seeds are round to oval, fleshy when fresh, and dry to a pale yellowish-white, hard, smooth, woody pit with longitudinal ridges. The resulting tree is a large, majestic deciduous conifer relative featuring unique fan-shaped leaves that turn a brilliant golden yellow in autumn.
Growing Information
Growing Season
Spring or Fall, cold stratification needed, frost hardy
Germination
Germination takes 3 to 8 weeks at an optimal soil temperature of 70°F to 80°F. Seeds require a cold stratification period of 30 to 60 days before planting to break dormancy.
Planting Instructions
Plant seeds about 1 inch deep in well-draining, loamy soil with a pH between 5.0 and 7.0. Space seeds or seedlings at least 15 to 20 feet apart if grown in rows.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily). Water regularly when young, but established trees have good drought tolerance.
Companion Plants
Plant alongside other hardy shade trees, shrubs, and perennials that prefer similar well-draining soils and full sun conditions.
Special Characteristics
Highly resistant to urban pollution, pests, and diseases. Extremely long-lived, often referred to as a living fossil. Leaves are used in herbal supplements for memory and circulation.