Conditional — Some Areas
beggar's tick (zones 8-11) reaches only part of New Mexico (5a-9a): zones 8-9 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Beggars Tick in New Mexico — the short answer
Beggars Tick in New Mexico: hardy in zones 8–11, full sun, against a state median of ~209 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 8-11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- New Mexico zones
- 5a-9a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 31 - Apr 19 – Oct 22 - Nov 9
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 144 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
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 Mexico site runs ~209 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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New Mexico is not one climate
A single New Mexico answer averages 33 counties whose growing seasons are 120 days apart — from 144 frost-free days in Catron County to 264 in Doña Ana County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what beggars tick can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 33 counties runs 186–221 days, with a median of 209 days — a 120-day span end to end.
Measured across 33 New Mexico counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in New Mexico Fits Best
Beggars Tick is rated for zones 8–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Against New Mexico’s 33 counties that band holds in 7 of them, and the line runs at Eddy County (zone 8a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 8–11
7 counties
- Hidalgo County · zone 8a
- Lea County · zone 8a
- Otero County · zone 8a
3 of 7 shown
Below the zone 8 floor
26 counties
- Taos County · zone 5b
- Cibola County · zone 6a
- Colfax County · zone 6a
3 of 26 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within New Mexico's zones 5a-9a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for beggars tick (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Beggars Tick Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-11
- Sun: Full Sun
- Picking window: ~90 days of harvest
New Mexico Has
- USDA Zones: 5a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 31 - Apr 19
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 22 - Nov 9
- Annual Rainfall: 8-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Caliche, Adobe clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-11)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Beggars Tick in New Mexico
The frost window
Across New Mexico, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 31 and Apr 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 22 and Nov 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 186-day window you can count on — up to 223 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 — FAO ECOCROP puts its killing temperature at 32°F — 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. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
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 Mexico'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.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. 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 Mexico. 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 Mexico soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your New Mexico site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. New Mexico soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Beggars Tick in New Mexico
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but New Mexico growers also need to think about:
Very low rainfall requires irrigation for most crops
High altitude UV intensity can burn tender transplants
Alkaline soils limit plant selection without amendment
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every New Mexico grower, not just beggars tick — is covered on the New Mexico growing guide.
Where in New Mexico Beggars Tick Is Zone-Hardy
Beggars Tick is rated for USDA zones 8–11. 7 of New Mexico’s 33 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Eddy County at zone 8a. 26 counties sit below the plant’s zone 8 floor, where an unprotected plant is relying on snow cover and a mild year. Where you are in New Mexico decides this one.
Across those 33 counties New Mexico’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 5b in Taos County to zone 8b in Sierra County — 3 USDA zones of spread, which is 30°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Catron County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 22, while Doña Ana County is clear by Feb 28 — 83 days apart. Set beggars tick out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". 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 New Mexico's frost window — roughly 209 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 31 - Apr 19) and closing at the first (Oct 22 - Nov 9), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
New Mexico Cooperative Extension
For New Mexico-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for beggars tick, the canonical source is NMSU Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Beggars Tick native to New Mexico?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New Mexico's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New Mexico natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The New Mexico 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 Mexico
When can I plant Beggars Tick in New Mexico?
New Mexico's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 31 and Apr 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 22 and Nov 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Beggars Tick is frost-tender — its killing temperature is 32°F (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor) — 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 Mexico?
New Mexico spans USDA hardiness zones 5a-9a (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 Mexico site have?
A typical New Mexico site sees ~209 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.
Is Beggars Tick native to New Mexico?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New Mexico's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New Mexico natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Beggars Tick in New Mexico?
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 Mexico site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Beggars Tick actually grow on my specific land in New Mexico?
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 New Mexico
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 Mexico beggars tick averages can't show:
We read public map data around New Mexico — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the New Mexico beggars tick average
Explore More
Growing guides for beggars tick
Explore New Mexico county by county
New Mexico carries 33 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for beggars tick there:
Where else beggars tick grows
Beggars Tick's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to New Mexico in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in New Mexico
New Mexico has a growing page for 1,038 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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