Albuquerque, NM 87192 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Albuquerque, NM?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/06, roughly 221 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/03, about 208 frost-free days later.
Albuquerque sits in USDA Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Albuquerque before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/23 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Albuquerque compares
Albuquerque's growing season runs about 208 days, ranking 15,496 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 110 of 427.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Albuquerque's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Albuquerque's dates instead of trusting one.