Frost Report

All states New Mexico

Frost dates for White Signal, 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

April 23

typical year

Safe to plant

May 10

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 26

typical year

Growing season

185 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 – Mar 26 – Apr 9 –
Spinach – Mar 12 – Apr 2 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Lettuce – Mar 26 – Apr 16 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Radishes – Mar 26 – May 7 Sep 14 – 28
Onions – Mar 26 – Apr 9 –
Potatoes – Apr 2 – 16 –
Carrots – Apr 2 – 23 Aug 3 – 17
Beets – Mar 26 – Apr 9 Aug 17 – 31
Kale Feb 12 – 26 Mar 26 – Apr 9 Aug 17 – 31
Broccoli Feb 12 – 26 Apr 9 – 23 Aug 17 – 31
Cabbage Jan 29 – Feb 12 Mar 26 – Apr 9 Aug 17 – 31
Garlic – – Sep 14 – Oct 5
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 15 – 29 May 10 – 24 –
Peppers Mar 8 – 22 May 17 – 31 –
Cucumbers – May 10 – 31 –
Zucchini – May 10 – Jun 7 –
Pumpkins – May 10 – 31 –
Green beans – May 10 – Aug 17 –
Sweet corn – May 10 – Jun 7 –
Basil Apr 5 – 19 May 17 – 24 –

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 10April 23April 4
Fall frost before October 13October 26November 8

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 6 (April 29 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 4.

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station WHITE SIGNAL, NM US (USC00299691), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 1 zip code, all within 5 miles:

88061

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