New Mexico frost dates

Average last spring and first fall frost dates for New Mexico’s largest cities, with each city’s USDA hardiness zone.

Reviewed October 2026

Among New Mexico’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Mar 9 in Alamogordo to May 24 in Las Vegas. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
Albuquerque	Apr 23	Oct 20	180	7b–8a	Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM, 3 mi
Las Cruces	Mar 12	Nov 13	246	8b	State Univ, NM, 4 mi
Rio Rancho	Apr 8	Nov 1	207	7b	Rio Rancho #2, NM, 4 mi
Santa Fe	May 14	Oct 6	145	6b	Santa Fe 2, NM, 3 mi
Roswell	Apr 13	Oct 30	200	7b	Roswell Climat, NM
Farmington	May 2	Oct 13	164	7a	Farmington Rgnl Airport, NM, 3 mi
Hobbs	Mar 28	Nov 10	227	8a	Hobbs, NM, 2 mi
Clovis	Apr 14	Oct 29	198	7a	Clovis, NM
Carlsbad	Mar 17	Nov 12	240	8a	Carlsbad, NM, 4 mi
Alamogordo	Mar 9	Nov 18	254	8a	Alamogordo, NM, 2 mi
Gallup	May 11	Oct 7	149	6a–6b	Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM, 3 mi
Los Lunas	Apr 23	Oct 21	181	7a–7b	Los Lunas 3 Ssw, NM, 3 mi
Sunland Park	Mar 23	Nov 11	233	8b	Santa Teresa Airport, NM, 7 mi
Deming	Apr 7	Nov 3	210	8a	Deming, NM
Las Vegas	May 24	Sep 30	129	6b	Las Vegas Wwtp, NM, 3 mi
Artesia	Apr 11	Oct 29	201	7b	Artesia 6S, NM, 7 mi
Portales	Apr 15	Oct 26	194	7a	Portales, NM
Lovington	Mar 28	Nov 13	230	7b	Hobbs 13W, NM, 16 mi
Española	May 11	Oct 6	148	7a	Espanola, NM
Silver City	Apr 4	Nov 8	218	7b	Ft Bayard, NM, 7 mi

Frost dates are the dates after (spring) or before (fall) which the chance of a 32°F freeze is below 50%, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the weather station nearest each city’s center. Zones are from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the ZIP codes around each city; a range means nearby ZIP codes differ. Cities are the 20 largest by Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

An average is not a guarantee. There’s still about a 1 in 2 chance of frost after the average last spring date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy.

Planting dates for Albuquerque

Timed from Albuquerque’s average last frost of Apr 23, using University of New Hampshire Extension’s planting guidance. For your exact dates, enter your ZIP code in the calendar below.

Crop	Start seeds indoors	Plant outside
Tomatoes	Mar 5 to Mar 19	Apr 30 to May 7
Peppers	Feb 26 to Mar 12	May 7
Lettuce	Feb 19 to Feb 26	Mar 26 to Apr 2
Broccoli	Feb 12 to Feb 26	Mar 26 to Apr 9
Cucumbers	Apr 2 to Apr 9	Apr 30 to May 7
Basil	Mar 12 to Mar 26	May 7

When to plant, for your garden

Your seed-starting and planting dates, timed from your last spring frost. Full calendar, 12 crops.

ZIP code

Last frost date

Enter your ZIP code to look up your average last frost date and hardiness zone, or type the date in yourself.

Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023, ZIP code data from PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed Oct. 20, 2026.

More about frost dates

How to find your last frost date, and what your zone means · Full planting calendar · How to start seeds indoors

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