Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil in a sunny position but tolerates some shade. Does well on chalky soils, tolerating a pH as high as 8, but becoming a shrub in such conditions. Does not thrive in soils with a pH much below 6. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates atmospheric pollution. Growth is fast once the trees are established, but this later slows down and trees take about 50 years to reach maturity. Frequently found as a shrub in light woodland, especially under oak. It is one of the first trees to colonize chalk grassland. The field maple is a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. A good bee plant. This species has often been coppiced in the past for its wood. Trees produce seed in about 10 years from sowing.

The sap contains a certain amount of sugar and can either be used as a drink, or can be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water. The concentration of sugar is considerably lower than in the sugar maples (A. saccharum). The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The tree trunk is tapped in the early spring, the sap flowing better on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter.

Open deciduous woods, hedgerows and scrub, usually on basic soils.