Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
beggar's tick (zones 8-11) does not overlap with Rhode Island's zone range (6b-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 Rhode Island is zone 7 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Rhode Island winter. To grow it here, grow beggars tick in a hoop house or unheated greenhouse — its modeled 1.5-zone lift covers this gap.
A hoop house or unheated greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 8-11 (plant) against 6-7 (Rhode Island). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['hoop_house'] (+1.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Beggars Tick in Rhode Island — the short answer
Beggars Tick in Rhode Island: hardy in zones 8–11, full sun, against a state median of ~225 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
- Rhode Island zones
- 6b-7b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 27 - Apr 3 – Nov 7 - Nov 21
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 210 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 Rhode Island site runs ~225 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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Where Beggars Tick Stands in Rhode Island
Beggars Tick is rated for zones 8–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. No Rhode Island county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Rhode Island winters, not about beggars tick.
Below the zone 8 floor
5 counties
- Kent County · zone 6b
- Providence County · zone 6b
- Bristol County · zone 7a
3 of 5 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.
Zone Comparison
Beggars Tick Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-11
- Sun: Full Sun
- Picking window: ~90 days of harvest
Rhode Island Has
- USDA Zones: 6b-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 3
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 7 - Nov 21
- Annual Rainfall: 44-52 inches
- Common Soils: Glacial till, Sandy loam, Coastal sand
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 Rhode Island
The frost window
Across Rhode Island, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 218-day window you can count on — up to 239 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 — Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island. 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 Rhode Island soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Rhode Island site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Rhode Island'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 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. Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Rhode Island growers also need to think about:
Small lot sizes limit garden space in much of the state
Salt spray affects coastal plantings
Rocky glacial soils need clearing
Growing beggars tick here specifically
Beggars Tick needs pH 3.5–8.5; Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island grower, not just beggars tick — is covered on the Rhode Island growing guide.
Where in Rhode Island Beggars Tick Is Zone-Hardy
Beggars Tick is rated for USDA zones 8–11. No Rhode Island county reaches it. Even Washington 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.
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 Rhode Island's frost window — roughly 225 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 27 - Apr 3) and closing at the first (Nov 7 - Nov 21), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Recommended Beggars Tick Varieties for Rhode Island
Rhode Island publishes no state variety trial for beggars tick, so we won't invent a "best for Rhode Island" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (6b-7b), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Rhode Island Cooperative Extension
For Rhode Island-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for beggars tick, the canonical source is URI Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Beggars Tick native to Rhode Island?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Rhode Island's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Rhode Island natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
When can I plant Beggars Tick in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (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 Rhode Island?
Rhode Island spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-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 Rhode Island site have?
A typical Rhode Island site sees ~225 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 Rhode Island?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Beggars Tick as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Rhode Island's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Rhode Island natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Beggars Tick in Rhode Island?
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 Rhode Island site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Beggars Tick actually grow on my specific land in Rhode Island?
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 Rhode Island
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 Rhode Island beggars tick averages can't show:
We read public map data around Rhode Island — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Rhode Island beggars tick average
Explore More
Growing guides for beggars tick
Explore Rhode Island county by county
Rhode Island carries 5 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a growing page for 889 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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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