USDA zone 7a in New Mexico
USDA plant hardiness zone 7a covers 45 locations across New Mexico (average annual extreme minimum 0 to 5 °F): Cañon, NM, Cañones, NM, Carrizozo, NM, Causey, NM, Clovis, NM, Cochiti Lake, NM, and 39 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges April 4 (Conchas Dam) to May 31 (Sheep Springs), and growing seasons run 119–210 days (Sheep Springs to Conchas Dam) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every New Mexico location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Deer Canyon, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost range
- Apr 4–May 31avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Sep 28–Nov 2avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 119–210days
Locations in this group
Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cañon | Ponderosa, San Ysidro | Jemez Springs | May 9 | Oct 11 | 153 |
| Cañones | Canjilon, Medanales | Abiquiu Dam | Apr 29 | Oct 16 | 168 |
| Carrizozo | Nogal | Carrizozo 1sw | Apr 27 | Oct 20 | 175 |
| Causey | Morton, Sudan | Muleshoe Ntl Wr | Apr 25 | Oct 19 | 177 |
| Clovis | — | Clovis 13 N | Apr 20 | Oct 24 | 184 |
| Cochiti Lake | Cochiti | Cochiti Dam | Apr 26 | Oct 21 | 178 |
| Conchas Dam | Newkirk | Conchas Dam | Apr 4 | Nov 2 | 210 |
| Corona | — | Gran Quivira Natl Mon | May 2 | Oct 15 | 164 |
| Corona | — | Corona 10sw | Apr 29 | Oct 20 | 172 |
| Datil | — | Augustine 2e | May 19 | Oct 4 | 137 |
| Deer Canyon * | — | Mountainair | May 2 | Oct 19 | 167 |
| Dixon | Chamita, Medanales, Ojo Caliente, Santa Clara Pueblo, Los Luceros, Cuartelez, +1 more | Alcalde | May 10 | Oct 4 | 145 |
| El Rito | — | El Rito | May 15 | Oct 7 | 143 |
| Eldorado at Santa Fe | — | Santa Fe 2 | May 14 | Oct 6 | 144 |
| Farmington | — | Farmington Rgnl Ap | May 2 | Oct 13 | 160 |
| Fort Sumner | — | Ft Sumner | Apr 9 | Oct 30 | 201 |
| High Rolls | — | Mtn Park | Apr 30 | Oct 21 | 173 |
| Highland Meadows | — | Cubero | May 13 | Oct 4 | 145 |
| House | — | Ragland 3 Ssw | Apr 24 | Oct 21 | 177 |
| La Cienega | Madrid | Santa Fe Co Muni Ap | May 4 | Oct 15 | 164 |
| La Madera | Sandia Park | Sandia Park | May 9 | Oct 9 | 152 |
| Llano del Medio | — | Dilia | May 2 | Oct 13 | 162 |
| Logan | Nara Visa | Mccarty Rch | Apr 20 | Oct 21 | 183 |
| Los Chaves | Jarales, Peralta | Los Lunas 3 Ssw | Apr 23 | Oct 21 | 178 |
| Mayhill | Weed | Elk | May 7 | Oct 11 | 155 |
| Melrose | — | Melrose | Apr 17 | Oct 26 | 190 |
| Mogollon | — | Glenwood | May 6 | Oct 18 | 164 |
| Mosquero | — | Mosquero 1 Ne | May 3 | Oct 12 | 160 |
| Newcomb | Lake Valley, Waterflow, Ojo Amarillo, Kirtland | Farmington Ag Sci Cnt | Apr 29 | Oct 15 | 167 |
| Newkirk | — | Newkirk | Apr 21 | Oct 21 | 183 |
| Ponderosa Pine | — | Albuquerque Foothills Ne | Apr 21 | Oct 23 | 184 |
| Portales | — | Portales | Apr 15 | Oct 26 | 193 |
| Ruidoso | Ruidoso Downs, Capitan | Capitan | May 3 | Oct 12 | 161 |
| Ruidoso | — | Ruidoso | May 11 | Oct 5 | 147 |
| Sacramento | Ruidoso Downs, Cloudcroft | Cloudcroft | May 18 | Oct 1 | 134 |
| San Jon | Grady | San Jon | Apr 18 | Oct 24 | 187 |
| Santa Rosa | — | Santa Rosa | Apr 20 | Oct 23 | 183 |
| Sheep Springs | Naschitti | Gallup Muni Ap | May 31 | Sep 28 | 119 |
| Tesuque Pueblo | — | Espanola | May 11 | Oct 6 | 149 |
| Tucumcari | — | Tucumcari 4 Ne | Apr 18 | Oct 25 | 189 |
| Vaughn | Fort Sumner | Yeso 2 S | Apr 18 | Oct 26 | 188 |
| Vaughn | — | Pedernal 9 E | May 9 | Oct 6 | 150 |
| West Hammond | — | Bloomfield 3 Se | Apr 23 | Oct 19 | 177 |
| White Rock | — | Los Alamos | May 2 | Oct 12 | 162 |
| Winston | — | Winston | May 10 | Oct 8 | 151 |
* Deer Canyon is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.
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.
Planting calendar (Deer Canyon, representative)
Computed from Deer Canyon's average frost dates — the median-season location in this New Mexicozone 7a group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | May 9 – May 16 | Jul 8 – Jul 28 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | May 16 – May 23 | Jul 15 – Aug 14 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 28 – Jul 18 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 23 – Jul 8 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 28 – Jul 8 | Aug 20 – Aug 30 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 1 – Jul 31 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 8 – Jun 23 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 19 – Jun 3 | Aug 6 – Aug 21 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 15 – May 30 | Jul 27 – Aug 11 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | Apr 30 – May 10 | Aug 16 – Aug 26 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | Jun 10 – Jun 30 | Jul 17 – Aug 6 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 29 – Jun 18 | Jul 22 – Aug 11 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Deer Canyon's own 167-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.
Frost & freeze dates (Deer Canyon)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00295965. 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 — 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 | May 14 | May 30 | Oct 9 | Oct 22 | 147 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 2 | May 18 | Oct 19 | Nov 1 | 167 |
| 28°F | Apr 21 | May 7 | Oct 30 | Nov 11 | 189 |
| 24°F | Apr 9 | Apr 28 | Nov 6 | Nov 21 | 212 |
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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 45 locations is 3,275; Deer Canyon's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 3,128 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 5,600 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a in New Mexico
Zone 7a means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 0 to 5 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. New Mexico spans 8 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all New Mexico locations for the full range, including zones5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7b, 8a, 8b.
Explore zone 7a in other states at zone 7a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 7a mean in New Mexico?
- Zone 7a means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 0 to 5 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 45 locations in New Mexico fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in New Mexico's zone 7a is the growing season longest?
- Conchas Dam runs the longest season on this page at about 210 days; Sheep Springs is shortest at about 119 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
- When should I plant tomatoes in New Mexico's zone 7a?
- Using Deer Canyon's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Mar 7 – Mar 21, then transplant outside about May 9 – May 16. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
- Does every location in New Mexico's zone 7a have the same frost dates?
- No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 45 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.