Mora, NM planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 6a−10 to −5 °F
- Last frost
- May 28avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 26avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 119days
Mora, New Mexico is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6a. Its average last spring frost is around May 28 and the first fall frost around September 26, giving a growing season of about 119 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.
Mora planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Mora'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 2 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Aug 3 – Aug 23 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Jun 11 – Jun 18 | Aug 10 – Sep 9 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 30 – May 7 | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 24 – Aug 13 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 19 – Aug 3 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 24 – Aug 3 | Jul 28 – Aug 7 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 28 – Jun 11 | Jul 27 – Aug 26 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 4 – Jul 19 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 – Jun 29 | Jul 14 – Jul 29 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 10 – Jun 25 | Jul 4 – Jul 19 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 26 – Jun 5 | Jul 24 – Aug 3 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 7 – May 14 | Jul 6 – Jul 26 | Jun 24 – Jul 14 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 – Jul 14 | Jun 29 – Jul 19 |
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 USC00293488. 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 | Jun 8 | Jun 23 | Sep 16 | Sep 29 | 97 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 28 | Jun 10 | Sep 26 | Oct 7 | 119 |
| 28°F | May 14 | May 30 | Oct 5 | Oct 17 | 143 |
| 24°F | May 2 | May 16 | Oct 14 | Oct 28 | 166 |
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) | 1,275 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 3,201 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 6a
Mora sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 6a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −10 to −5 °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 6a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Mora?
- Mora, New Mexico is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −10 to −5 °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 Mora?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around May 28, 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 10, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Mora?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 26. That leaves a growing season of about 119 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Mora?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 2 – Apr 16 and transplant them outside about Jun 4 – Jun 11, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 3 – Aug 23.
- How long is the growing season in Mora?
- About 119 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~May 28) and the average first fall frost (~September 26). 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 USC00293488 (Gascon, 9.6 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.