Frost Report

All states New Mexico

Frost dates for Gallup, NM

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

May 11

typical year

Safe to plant

May 26

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 7

typical year

Growing season

148 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Apr 13 – 27 –
Spinach – Mar 30 – Apr 20 Aug 12 – 26
Lettuce – Apr 13 – May 4 Aug 12 – 26
Radishes – Apr 13 – May 25 Aug 26 – Sep 9
Onions – Apr 13 – 27 –
Potatoes – Apr 20 – May 4 –
Carrots – Apr 20 – May 11 Jul 15 – 29
Beets – Apr 13 – 27 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Kale Mar 2 – 16 Apr 13 – 27 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Broccoli Mar 2 – 16 Apr 27 – May 11 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Cabbage Feb 16 – Mar 2 Apr 13 – 27 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Garlic – – Aug 26 – Sep 16
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 26 – Jun 9 –
Peppers Mar 24 – Apr 7 Jun 2 – 16 –
Cucumbers – May 26 – Jun 16 –
Zucchini – May 26 – Jun 23 –
Pumpkins – May 26 – Jun 16 –
Green beans – May 26 – Jul 29 –
Sweet corn – May 26 – Jun 23 –
Basil Apr 21 – May 5 Jun 2 – 9 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after May 26May 11April 30
Fall frost before September 27October 7October 20

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around April 29 (May 14 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 17.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

Gallup

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station GALLUP SAND & GRAVEL, NM US (USC00293428), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 6 zip codes, all within 32 miles:

87310, 87311, 87316, 87317, 87322, 87325

1 of these zip codes are more than 30 miles from the station, so their real frost dates may differ by a week or more.

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.