Can I Grow Beggars Tick in New Hampshire?

USDA Zones 3b-6b · Plant zone range 8-11

Unlikely — Zone Mismatch

beggar's tick (zones 8-11) does not overlap with New Hampshire's zone range (3b-6b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.

2 zones short — what would close it

Beggars Tick is hardy to zone 8, and the warmest ground in New Hampshire is zone 6 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a New Hampshire winter. To grow it here, grow beggars tick under glass — a greenhouse is the only lift this wide the engine models.

A greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →

Zone math from 8-11 (plant) against 3-6 (New Hampshire). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.

Score your parcel · free

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 New Hampshire site runs ~171 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

New Hampshire Has

  • USDA Zones: 3b-6b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 22 - May 4
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 10 - Oct 21
  • Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
  • Common Soils: Glacial till, Sandy loam, Rocky loam

Plant Zone Range (zones 8-11)

8a
11b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 3.58.5

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 New Hampshire

The frost window

Across New Hampshire, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 22 and May 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 10 and Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 159-day window you can count on — up to 182 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 — New Hampshire'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 — Coos 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 New Hampshire. 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 New Hampshire soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your New Hampshire site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.

Your land, not the state average

New Hampshire's soils run mostly fine sandy loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Beggars Tick needs about 19 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how beggars tick performs.

Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.

Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. New Hampshire soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Beggars Tick in New Hampshire — Quick Answer

  • Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
  • Plant Zones: 8-11 (USDA PLANTS Database)
  • State Zones: 3b-6b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
  • Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 22 - May 4 to Oct 10 - Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)

What Else to Consider for Beggars Tick in New Hampshire

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but New Hampshire growers also need to think about:

Very short season in the White Mountains (80-100 frost-free days)

Rocky glacial soils throughout the state

Harsh winters with deep snow cover

Growing beggars tick here specifically

Beggars Tick needs pH 3.5–8.5; New Hampshire's dominant fine sandy loam soils may or may not deliver that, so your parcel's SSURGO map unit is the real test.

Start with a soil test on your own ground and adjust pH and texture to fit beggars tick's 3.5–8.5 range. How to handle it →

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every New Hampshire grower, not just beggars tick — is covered on the New Hampshire growing guide.

Timing shifts within New Hampshire

New Hampshire isn't one climate. In Coos County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 13 — roughly 16 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 New Hampshire Beggars Tick Is Zone-Hardy

Beggars Tick is rated for USDA zones 811. No New Hampshire county reaches it. Even Strafford County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 6a, 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 10 counties New Hampshire’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4b in Coos County to zone 6a in Strafford County 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°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 811 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 New Hampshire's frost window — roughly 171 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 22 - May 4) and closing at the first (Oct 10 - Oct 21), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Recommended Beggars Tick Varieties for New Hampshire

New Hampshire publishes no state variety trial for beggars tick, so we won't invent a "best for New Hampshire" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (3b-6b), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.

New Hampshire Cooperative Extension

For New Hampshire-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for beggars tick, the canonical source is UNH Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Beggars Tick native to New Hampshire?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New Hampshire's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New Hampshire natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

Looking for plants that belong here? The New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

When can I plant Beggars Tick in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 22 and May 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 10 and Oct 21 (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 New Hampshire?

New Hampshire spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-6b (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 New Hampshire site have?

A typical New Hampshire site sees ~171 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 Coos, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.

Is Beggars Tick native to New Hampshire?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New Hampshire's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New Hampshire natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

How should I amend the soil for Beggars Tick in New Hampshire?

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 New Hampshire site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.

Will Beggars Tick actually grow on my specific land in New Hampshire?

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.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in New Hampshire

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 New Hampshire beggars tick averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — New Hampshire averages 171Your sun & shade

We read public map data around New Hampshire — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the New Hampshire beggars tick average

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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