Ruidoso, NM 88312 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Ruidoso, NM?
Around 05/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 256 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 147 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ruidoso 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 Ruidoso before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/11 isn't a guarantee
05/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ruidoso compares
At roughly 147 frost-free days, Ruidoso places 35,882 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NM, it ranks 298 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Ruidoso can differ from the 88312 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Ruidoso's frost date answer different questions.