Santa Fe, NM 87540 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Santa Fe, NM?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/02, about 247 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 167 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Santa Fe in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 7 weeks of growing season left in Santa Fe before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/02 isn't a guarantee
05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Santa Fe compares
About 167 days separate Santa Fe's last and first frost, putting it 29,842 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NM, it ranks 221 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Santa Fe can differ from the 87540 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Santa Fe's frost date answer different questions.