Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
pickerel weed (zones 10-12) does not overlap with New Mexico's zone range (5a-9a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Pickerel Weed is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in New Mexico is zone 9 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a New Mexico winter. To grow it here, grow pickerel weed 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 10-12 (plant) against 4-9 (New Mexico). 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.
New Mexico spans zones 5a-9a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score pickerel weed against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Pickerel Weed Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-12
- Frost-Free Days: 90+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Picking window: ~60 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 10-12)
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 Pickerel Weed 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.
Winter standing
New Mexico runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for pickerel weed, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether pickerel weed is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within New Mexico; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Catron 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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says pickerel weed does not survive a New Mexico winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on New Mexico under protection.
Frost-free days
Pickerel Weed wants 90+ frost-free days; a typical New Mexico site sees ~209 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Pickerel Weed tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4-7) — 3 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 5 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a New Mexico soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
Your land, not the state average
New Mexico's soils run mostly loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Pickerel Weed 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 pickerel weed performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. New Mexico soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Pickerel Weed in New Mexico — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 10-12 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 31 - Apr 19 to Oct 22 - Nov 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Pickerel Weed 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
Growing pickerel weed here specifically
Pickerel Weed's medium root system wants open ground, yet a large share of New Mexico is SSURGO group-D soil — dense and slow-draining enough to stall it.
Double-dig or broadfork pickerel weed's bed to open the restrictive layer so roots can run. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every New Mexico grower, not just pickerel weed — is covered on the New Mexico growing guide.
Timing shifts within New Mexico
New Mexico isn't one climate. In Catron County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 22 — roughly 43 days later than the recorded state median — so plant pickerel weed to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Pickerel Weed needs about 90 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Catron County — New Mexico’s shortest season at 144 frost-free days — clears that by 54 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in New Mexico. What varies is your own parcel.
Across New Mexico’s 33 counties the frost-free season runs from 144 days in Catron County to 264 days in Doña Ana County — a spread of 120 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median New Mexico county sees 209 frost-free days, leaving pickerel weed about 119 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Pickerel Weed's 90-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Pickerel Weed draws native bees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, pickerel weed 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.
Recommended Pickerel Weed Varieties for New Mexico
New Mexico publishes no state variety trial for pickerel weed, so we won't invent a "best for New Mexico" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (5a-9a), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
New Mexico Cooperative Extension
For New Mexico-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for pickerel weed, the canonical source is NMSU Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Pickerel Weed native to New Mexico?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Pickerel Weed 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 Pickerel Weed in New Mexico
When can I plant Pickerel Weed 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). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Pickerel Weed, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in New Mexico and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Pickerel Weed grown in across New Mexico?
New Mexico spans USDA hardiness zones 5a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Pickerel Weed carries a range of zones 10-12, 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). Pickerel Weed needs 90+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Catron, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Pickerel Weed native to New Mexico?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Pickerel Weed 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 Pickerel Weed in New Mexico?
Pickerel Weed tolerates pH 4-7 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-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 Pickerel Weed actually grow on my specific land in New Mexico?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores pickerel weed 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 pickerel weed against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that New Mexico pickerel weed 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 pickerel weed average
Explore More
Growing guides for pickerel weed
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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