Tatum, NM 88114 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tatum, NM?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/19, about 234 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/26, about 188 frost-free days later.
Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Tatum, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Tatum before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/19 isn't a guarantee
04/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/03 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tatum compares
About 188 days separate Tatum's last and first frost, putting it 22,133 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NM, it ranks 163 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Tatum can differ from the 88114 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Tatum's frost date answer different questions.