USDA zone 7b in New Mexico
USDA plant hardiness zone 7b covers 41 locations across New Mexico (average annual extreme minimum 5 to 10 °F): Abeytas, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Albuquerque, NM, and 35 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 22 (Truth or Consequences) to May 26 (Gila Hot Springs), and growing seasons run 129–230 days (Gila Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences) — 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 Lovington, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7b5 to 10 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 22–May 26avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Oct 1–Nov 9avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 129–230days
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abeytas | Las Nutrias, La Joya | Bernardo | Apr 29 | Oct 14 | 166 |
| Albuquerque | Rio Rancho, Placitas, Bernalillo | Corrales | Apr 25 | Oct 17 | 173 |
| Albuquerque | — | Rio Grande Nature Ctr | Apr 23 | Oct 20 | 179 |
| Albuquerque | Carnuel, Sandia Heights | Albuquerque Foothills Ne | Apr 21 | Oct 23 | 184 |
| Albuquerque | Kirtland AFB | Albuquerque Intl Ap | Apr 6 | Nov 3 | 208 |
| Albuquerque | — | Petroglyph Natl Mon | Apr 15 | Oct 27 | 193 |
| Arenas Valley | North Hurley, Bayard | Ft Bayard | Apr 4 | Nov 8 | 216 |
| Bent | — | Tularosa | Apr 5 | Nov 4 | 212 |
| Buckhorn | — | Duncan | Apr 24 | Oct 25 | 183 |
| Buckhorn | — | Glenwood | May 6 | Oct 18 | 164 |
| Cannon AFB | — | Clovis | Apr 14 | Oct 29 | 197 |
| Causey | Dora | Portales | Apr 15 | Oct 26 | 193 |
| Causey | Morton, Bledsoe | Morton | Apr 11 | Oct 31 | 199 |
| Cliff | Pinos Altos | Cliff 11 Se | May 9 | Oct 15 | 157 |
| Conchas Dam | — | Conchas Dam | Apr 4 | Nov 2 | 210 |
| Dexter | — | Roswell Ind Air Pk | Mar 29 | Nov 7 | 223 |
| El Cerro | Pueblitos | Los Lunas 3 Ssw | Apr 23 | Oct 21 | 178 |
| Elida | — | Elida | Apr 21 | Oct 23 | 183 |
| Floyd | — | Melrose | Apr 17 | Oct 26 | 190 |
| Gila Hot Springs | Lake Roberts Heights | Gila Hot Springs | May 26 | Oct 5 | 129 |
| Hagerman | Lake Arthur | Artesia 6s | Apr 11 | Oct 29 | 198 |
| Hope | — | Hope | Apr 1 | Nov 6 | 218 |
| La Luz | — | Mtn Park | Apr 30 | Oct 21 | 173 |
| Lovington * | Tatum | Tatum | Apr 19 | Oct 26 | 188 |
| Pinon | — | Elk | May 7 | Oct 11 | 155 |
| Polvadera | — | Socorro | Apr 16 | Oct 25 | 191 |
| Radium Springs | — | Jornada Exp Range | Apr 27 | Oct 23 | 178 |
| Redrock | — | Redrock 1 Nne | Apr 30 | Oct 23 | 175 |
| Rio Rancho | — | Rio Rancho #2 | Apr 8 | Nov 1 | 203 |
| Rio Rancho | — | Rio Rancho #1 | Apr 16 | Oct 23 | 191 |
| Roswell | Dexter | Bitter Lakes Wl Refuge | Apr 20 | Oct 20 | 181 |
| Ruidoso Downs | — | Capitan | May 3 | Oct 12 | 161 |
| Ruidoso Downs | Capitan | Picacho | Apr 19 | Oct 25 | 188 |
| San Acacia | — | Socorro 20 N | Apr 12 | Oct 27 | 196 |
| San Antonito | Luis Lopez | Bosque Del Apache | Apr 28 | Oct 16 | 167 |
| San Felipe Pueblo | Santo Domingo Pueblo | Cochiti Dam | Apr 26 | Oct 21 | 178 |
| San Lorenzo | — | Faywood | Apr 21 | Oct 31 | 191 |
| South Valley | Pajarito Mesa, Chical, Isleta | Albuquerque Valley | Apr 18 | Oct 24 | 189 |
| Timberon | — | Cloudcroft | May 18 | Oct 1 | 134 |
| Truth or Consequences | — | Truth Or Consequence Ap | Mar 22 | Nov 9 | 230 |
| White Signal | Tyrone | White Signal | Apr 23 | Oct 26 | 185 |
* Lovington 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 (Lovington, representative)
Computed from Lovington's average frost dates — the median-season location in this New Mexicozone 7b 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 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 26 – May 3 | Jun 25 – Jul 15 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | May 3 – May 10 | Jul 2 – Aug 1 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 3 | Jun 15 – Jul 5 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 26 – May 3 | Jun 10 – Jun 25 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 26 – May 3 | Jun 15 – Jun 25 | Aug 27 – Sep 6 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 18 – Jul 18 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 26 – May 3 | May 26 – Jun 10 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 6 – May 21 | Aug 13 – Aug 28 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | May 2 – May 17 | Aug 3 – Aug 18 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 17 – Apr 27 | Aug 23 – Sep 2 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | May 28 – Jun 17 | Jul 24 – Aug 13 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 16 – Jun 5 | Jul 29 – Aug 18 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Lovington's own 188-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 (Lovington)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00298713. 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 | Apr 28 | May 9 | Oct 18 | Oct 28 | 171 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 19 | May 2 | Oct 26 | Nov 6 | 188 |
| 28°F | Apr 8 | Apr 24 | Nov 4 | Nov 16 | 209 |
| 24°F | Mar 26 | Apr 16 | Nov 13 | Nov 28 | 232 |
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 41 locations is 4,243; Lovington's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 4,395 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,190 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7b in New Mexico
Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 5 to 10 °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, 7a, 8a, 8b.
Explore zone 7b in other states at zone 7b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 7b mean in New Mexico?
- Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 5 to 10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 41 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 7b is the growing season longest?
- Truth or Consequences runs the longest season on this page at about 230 days; Gila Hot Springs is shortest at about 129 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 7b?
- Using Lovington's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Feb 22 – Mar 8, then transplant outside about Apr 26 – May 3. 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 7b 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 41 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.