Española, NM 87523 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Española, NM?
Around 05/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 256 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/06, about 149 frost-free days later.
Española sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 6 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.
Why 05/11 isn't a guarantee
05/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/26 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Española compares
Española's growing season runs about 149 days, ranking 35,498 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 280 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Española can differ from the 87523 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Española's frost date answer different questions.