When to plant in Agua Fria, NM
Planting dates worked out from Agua Fria's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 3
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 3
1 year in 10 by Sep 21
Frost-free days
143
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Santa Fe 2 · 5.8 km away · station 2059 m, town 2000 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | May 28 |
| Peas | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 29 |
| Bush beans | — | May 27 – Jun 17 | Jul 16 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 25 – Jun 6 | Jun 24 |
| Beet | — | Apr 18 – May 30 | Jun 7 |
| Potato | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jul 4 |
| Kale | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Broccoli | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 17 |
| Cucumber | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 23 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 18 |
| Winter squash | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 27 – Jun 17 | Jul 26 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jul 17 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 19 – Oct 17 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 12 |
| Basil | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 30 |
Agua Fria's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1973 | May 7 |
| 1974 | Apr 27 |
| 1975 | May 23 |
| 1976 | May 13 |
| 1977 | Apr 12 |
| 1978 | May 9 |
| 1979 | May 11 |
| 1980 | May 12 |
| 1981 | May 10 |
| 1982 | May 14 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | May 8 |
| 1985 | May 15 |
| 1986 | May 9 |
| 1987 | Apr 22 |
| 1988 | May 7 |
| 1989 | May 1 |
| 1990 | May 3 |
| 1991 | May 16 |
| 1992 | May 11 |
| 1993 | May 11 |
| 1994 | May 2 |
| 1995 | May 30 |
| 1996 | Apr 29 |
| 1997 | Jul 5 |
| 1998 | May 23 |
| 1999 | May 7 |
| 2001 | Jun 10 |
| 2003 | May 11 |
| 2004 | May 3 |
| 2005 | May 12 |
| 2006 | Apr 30 |
| 2007 | Jun 8 |
| 2008 | May 9 |
| 2010 | May 25 |
| 2011 | May 20 |
| 2012 | Apr 21 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | May 15 |
| 2015 | May 17 |
| 2017 | May 20 |
| 2018 | May 3 |
| 2019 | May 22 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | May 19 |
| 2022 | May 25 |
| 2023 | May 12 |
| 2024 | May 8 |
| 2025 | May 20 |
| 2026 | May 7 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 142 |
| 1974 | 185 |
| 1975 | 130 |
| 1976 | 146 |
| 1977 | 181 |
| 1978 | 169 |
| 1979 | 163 |
| 1980 | 156 |
| 1981 | 161 |
| 1982 | 147 |
| 1983 | 125 |
| 1984 | 160 |
| 1985 | 137 |
| 1986 | 155 |
| 1987 | 199 |
| 1988 | 144 |
| 1989 | 170 |
| 1991 | 155 |
| 1992 | 137 |
| 1993 | 139 |
| 1994 | 156 |
| 1995 | 114 |
| 1996 | 150 |
| 1997 | 86 |
| 1998 | 135 |
| 1999 | 144 |
| 2001 | 90 |
| 2003 | 155 |
| 2004 | 162 |
| 2005 | 152 |
| 2006 | 141 |
| 2007 | 127 |
| 2008 | 156 |
| 2010 | 143 |
| 2011 | 140 |
| 2012 | 169 |
| 2013 | 146 |
| 2014 | 151 |
| 2017 | 140 |
| 2018 | 159 |
| 2019 | 136 |
| 2020 | 122 |
| 2021 | 144 |
| 2022 | 145 |
| 2023 | 153 |
| 2024 | 165 |
| 2025 | 151 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1972 | 16.7 °C |
| 1973 | 16.1 °C |
| 1974 | 16.9 °C |
| 1975 | 15.2 °C |
| 1976 | 16.4 °C |
| 1977 | 17.6 °C |
| 1978 | 17.3 °C |
| 1979 | 16.4 °C |
| 1980 | 17.3 °C |
| 1981 | 17.7 °C |
| 1982 | 16.6 °C |
| 1983 | 16.9 °C |
| 1985 | 17.9 °C |
| 1986 | 17.4 °C |
| 1987 | 17.5 °C |
| 1989 | 17.7 °C |
| 1991 | 16.1 °C |
| 1992 | 16.4 °C |
| 1993 | 16.6 °C |
| 1994 | 17.5 °C |
| 1995 | 16.4 °C |
| 1996 | 17.6 °C |
| 1997 | 16.2 °C |
| 1998 | 16.8 °C |
| 1999 | 15.8 °C |
| 2000 | 18.9 °C |
| 2001 | 17.0 °C |
| 2002 | 18.4 °C |
| 2003 | 17.8 °C |
| 2004 | 16.8 °C |
| 2005 | 17.1 °C |
| 2006 | 17.3 °C |
| 2007 | 17.4 °C |
| 2008 | 16.6 °C |
| 2010 | 17.0 °C |
| 2011 | 17.5 °C |
| 2012 | 18.1 °C |
| 2013 | 17.1 °C |
| 2014 | 16.5 °C |
| 2015 | 16.8 °C |
| 2017 | 17.2 °C |
| 2018 | 18.2 °C |
| 2019 | 16.9 °C |
| 2020 | 17.7 °C |
| 2021 | 17.4 °C |
| 2022 | 17.5 °C |
| 2023 | 17.3 °C |
| 2024 | 18.3 °C |
| 2025 | 17.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1973, Agua Fria's last spring frost has come about 2 days later per decade, on average. The frost-free season has shrunk by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Santa Fe 2 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.