Columbus, NM 88029 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Columbus, NM?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/18, roughly 202 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/11, about 237 frost-free days later.
Columbus sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°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 11 weeks of growing season left in Columbus before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/18 isn't a guarantee
03/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Columbus compares
Columbus's growing season runs about 237 days, ranking 9,127 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 20 of 427.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Columbus's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Columbus's dates instead of trusting one.