Española, NM 87516 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Española, NM?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/29, about 244 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 168 frost-free days later.
Española sits in USDA Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 7 weeks of growing season left in Española 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
04/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Española compares
Española's growing season runs about 168 days, ranking 29,687 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 214 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Española can differ from the 87516 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Española's frost date answer different questions.