Taos, NM 87531 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Taos, NM?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/19, roughly 264 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 136 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Taos in Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Taos before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/19 isn't a guarantee
05/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Taos compares
At roughly 136 frost-free days, Taos places 37,672 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NM, it ranks 340 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Taos can differ from the 87531 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Taos's frost date answer different questions.