Taos, NM 87557 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Taos, NM?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/19, about 264 days from today. 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 6a (-10 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
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 37,675 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NM, it ranks 343 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Taos can differ from the 87557 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Taos's frost date answer different questions.