Chama, NM planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5b−15 to −10 °F
- Last frost
- Jun 14avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 18avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 93days
Chama, New Mexico is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b. Its average last spring frost is around June 14 and the first fall frost around September 18, giving a growing season of about 93 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Chama planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Chama's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 21 – Jun 28 | Aug 20 – Sep 9 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | Jun 28 – Jul 5 | Aug 27 – Sep 26 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | May 17 – May 24 | Jun 21 – Jun 28 | Aug 10 – Aug 30 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 21 – Jun 28 | Aug 5 – Aug 20 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 21 – Jun 28 | Aug 10 – Aug 20 | Jul 20 – Jul 30 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jun 14 – Jun 28 | Aug 13 – Sep 12 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 21 – Jun 28 | Jul 21 – Aug 5 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | May 3 – May 17 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 1 – Jul 16 | Jul 6 – Jul 21 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 27 – Jul 12 | Jun 26 – Jul 11 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 12 – Jun 22 | Jul 16 – Jul 26 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 24 – May 31 | Jul 23 – Aug 12 | Jun 16 – Jul 6 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 19 – May 3 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 11 – Jul 31 | Jun 21 – Jul 11 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00291664. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | — | — | — | — | 70 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jun 14 | Jun 30 | Sep 18 | Sep 29 | 93 |
| 28°F | Jun 1 | Jun 17 | Sep 26 | Oct 8 | 117 |
| 24°F | May 16 | Jun 4 | Oct 4 | Oct 17 | 140 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 1,239 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 2,909 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5b
Chama sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −15 to −10 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 5b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Chama?
- Chama, New Mexico is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −15 to −10 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Chama?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around June 14, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as June 30, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Chama?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 18. That leaves a growing season of about 93 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Chama?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 19 – May 3 and transplant them outside about Jun 21 – Jun 28, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 20 – Sep 9.
- How long is the growing season in Chama?
- About 93 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~June 14) and the average first fall frost (~September 18). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00291664 (Chama, 6.5 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.