USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 88012 — Las Cruces, New Mexico
Averages from State Univ, Nm US, the nearest reporting station, 10 miles away.
Plant tender crops after March 12, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 13. That leaves about 241 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- March 12
- First fall frost
- November 13
- Growing season
- 241 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
5 to 10°F annual low
Planting calendar for 88012
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 1 – January 15 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 15 – January 29 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 12 – February 26 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 12 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 21 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 30 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 13 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after March 12 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Las Cruces, New Mexico are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 13, which leaves roughly 241 frost-free days.
ZIP 88012 sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 5 to 10°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.