Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
beggar's tick (zones 8-11) does not overlap with Illinois's zone range (5a-7b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Beggars Tick is hardy to zone 8, and the warmest ground in Illinois is zone 7 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Illinois winter. To grow it here, grow beggars tick in a container and move it under cover for the coldest weeks, or give it a greenhouse.
Season extension and overwintering under cover both work at this margin. How to buy the weeks →
Zone math from 8-11 (plant) against 5-7 (Illinois). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Beggars Tick is grown as an annual, so your winter zone isn't the deciding factor — your frost-free window is. A typical Illinois site runs ~212 frost-free days, but that is a state median, not your yard: slope, trees, and low spots move the last-frost date across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score beggars tick against your land's actual frost dates, sun, and soil.
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Zone Comparison
Beggars Tick Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-11
- Sun: Full Sun
- Picking window: ~90 days of harvest
Illinois Has
- USDA Zones: 5a-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 29 - Apr 8
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 28 - Nov 5
- Annual Rainfall: 34-48 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Silt loam, Clay loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-11)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Beggars Tick in Illinois
The frost window
Across Illinois, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 29 and Apr 8, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 28 and Nov 5 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 203-day window you can count on — up to 221 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Frost tenderness
Beggars Tick is frost-tender — its listed minimum temperature is 50°F (USDA PLANTS Database) — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does.
When to start the seed
Beggars Tick is direct-sown where it grows rather than started under cover, so there is no seed-tray head start to bank — Illinois's dates above are the whole calendar for it. That makes the last-freeze date the binding constraint, and a warmer pocket of your own yard is worth more to this crop than it is to a transplanted one.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Jo Daviess County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Beggars Tick tolerates a wide pH range (pH 3.5-8.5) — 5 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Illinois. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4.5 and 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Illinois soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Illinois site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 52.0% of Illinois as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Beggars Tick sits mid-range for drought tolerance, so either extreme can cost you — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Illinois soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Beggars Tick in Illinois — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 8-11 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 29 - Apr 8 to Oct 28 - Nov 5 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Beggars Tick in Illinois
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Illinois growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in northern IL drain poorly
Extreme temperature swings between summer and winter
Japanese beetles are a major garden pest
Growing beggars tick here specifically
Beggars Tick needs sharp drainage and sends medium roots hardy to about 50°F; in Illinois, about 52.0% of soils are poorly-drained (SSURGO), and standing water is what actually kills it.
Build beggars tick up on a coarse, free-draining mound so its roots never sit in saturated soil. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Illinois grower, not just beggars tick — is covered on the Illinois growing guide.
Timing shifts within Illinois
Illinois isn't one climate. In Jo Daviess County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 22 — roughly 20 days later than the recorded state median — so plant beggars tick to your county's window, not the statewide date.
County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Illinois Beggars Tick Is Zone-Hardy
Beggars Tick is rated for USDA zones 8–11. No Illinois county reaches it. Even Williamson County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 7a, sits below the plant’s zone 8 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 102 counties Illinois’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 5a in Carroll County to zone 7a in Williamson County — 2 USDA zones of spread, which is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band beggars tick needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Beggars Tick’s zone 8–11 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Beggars Tick draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, beggars tick can only work that bloom inside Illinois's frost window — roughly 212 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 29 - Apr 8) and closing at the first (Oct 28 - Nov 5), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Recommended Beggars Tick Varieties for Illinois
Illinois publishes no state variety trial for beggars tick, so we won't invent a "best for Illinois" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (5a-7b), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Illinois Cooperative Extension
For Illinois-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for beggars tick, the canonical source is University of Illinois Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Beggars Tick native to Illinois?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Illinois's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Illinois natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Illinois growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Beggars Tick in Illinois
When can I plant Beggars Tick in Illinois?
Illinois's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 29 and Apr 8, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 28 and Nov 5 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Beggars Tick is frost-tender — its listed minimum temperature is 50°F (USDA PLANTS Database) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
What hardiness zone is Beggars Tick grown in across Illinois?
Illinois spans USDA hardiness zones 5a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Beggars Tick carries a range of zones 8-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Illinois site have?
A typical Illinois site sees ~212 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Beggars Tick should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Jo Daviess, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Beggars Tick native to Illinois?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Illinois's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Illinois natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Beggars Tick in Illinois?
Beggars Tick tolerates pH 3.5-8.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 5-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Illinois site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Beggars Tick actually grow on my specific land in Illinois?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores beggars tick against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Illinois
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores beggars tick against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Illinois beggars tick averages can't show:
We read public map data around Illinois — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Illinois beggars tick average
Explore More
Growing guides for beggars tick
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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