When to plant in Mesilla, NM
Planting dates worked out from Mesilla's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 11
1 year in 10 by Oct 29
Frost-free days
241
median, 1991–2020
Station used: State Univ · 4.1 km away · station 1184 m, town 1183 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 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 8 – Jan 15 | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 24 |
| Peas | — | Jan 29 – Feb 26 | Mar 25 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 11 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 20 |
| Beet | — | Feb 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 3 |
| Potato | — | Feb 19 – Mar 12 | Apr 30 |
| Kale | Jan 1 – Jan 15 | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 27 |
| Broccoli | Jan 1 – Jan 15 | Feb 12 – Mar 5 | Apr 13 |
| Cucumber | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 13 |
| Winter squash | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | Jun 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 21 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 12 – Mar 5 | May 13 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 28 – Nov 25 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 29 – Feb 26 | Mar 8 |
| Basil | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 25 |
Mesilla'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 |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Apr 3 |
| 1961 | Apr 9 |
| 1962 | Apr 1 |
| 1963 | Mar 20 |
| 1964 | Apr 26 |
| 1965 | Apr 6 |
| 1966 | Apr 6 |
| 1967 | May 2 |
| 1968 | Apr 24 |
| 1969 | Mar 26 |
| 1970 | Apr 30 |
| 1971 | Apr 20 |
| 1972 | Apr 22 |
| 1973 | Apr 10 |
| 1974 | Apr 5 |
| 1975 | May 7 |
| 1976 | Apr 18 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 10 |
| 1979 | Apr 13 |
| 1980 | Apr 14 |
| 1981 | Mar 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 3 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1984 | Mar 31 |
| 1985 | Mar 31 |
| 1986 | Mar 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 3 |
| 1988 | Apr 1 |
| 1989 | Mar 21 |
| 1990 | Mar 17 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Mar 10 |
| 1993 | Mar 13 |
| 1994 | Mar 29 |
| 1995 | Mar 26 |
| 1997 | Mar 6 |
| 2000 | Mar 19 |
| 2001 | Mar 16 |
| 2002 | Mar 6 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Mar 7 |
| 2005 | Mar 18 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Mar 30 |
| 2008 | Mar 11 |
| 2009 | Feb 23 |
| 2010 | Mar 22 |
| 2011 | Mar 1 |
| 2012 | Mar 21 |
| 2013 | Mar 25 |
| 2014 | Feb 13 |
| 2015 | Mar 7 |
| 2016 | Feb 25 |
| 2017 | Feb 26 |
| 2018 | Mar 2 |
| 2019 | Feb 25 |
| 2020 | Feb 28 |
| 2021 | Mar 18 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2023 | Apr 6 |
| 2024 | Feb 19 |
| 2025 | Apr 8 |
| 2026 | Feb 2 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 210 |
| 1961 | 207 |
| 1962 | 220 |
| 1963 | 244 |
| 1964 | 177 |
| 1965 | 207 |
| 1966 | 191 |
| 1967 | 180 |
| 1968 | 195 |
| 1969 | 218 |
| 1970 | 161 |
| 1971 | 192 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 203 |
| 1974 | 209 |
| 1975 | 187 |
| 1976 | 172 |
| 1977 | 210 |
| 1978 | 220 |
| 1979 | 200 |
| 1980 | 193 |
| 1981 | 215 |
| 1982 | 208 |
| 1983 | 218 |
| 1984 | 224 |
| 1985 | 215 |
| 1986 | 246 |
| 1987 | 220 |
| 1988 | 228 |
| 1989 | 223 |
| 1990 | 231 |
| 1991 | 213 |
| 1992 | 240 |
| 1993 | 230 |
| 1994 | 220 |
| 2000 | 233 |
| 2001 | 248 |
| 2002 | 244 |
| 2003 | 237 |
| 2004 | 240 |
| 2005 | 242 |
| 2006 | 237 |
| 2007 | 239 |
| 2008 | 241 |
| 2009 | 248 |
| 2010 | 232 |
| 2011 | 251 |
| 2012 | 235 |
| 2013 | 243 |
| 2014 | 272 |
| 2015 | 255 |
| 2016 | 277 |
| 2017 | 284 |
| 2018 | 255 |
| 2019 | 241 |
| 2020 | 240 |
| 2021 | 252 |
| 2022 | 242 |
| 2023 | 207 |
| 2024 | 259 |
| 2025 | 241 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 22.9 °C |
| 1960 | 23.1 °C |
| 1961 | 22.9 °C |
| 1962 | 22.9 °C |
| 1963 | 23.4 °C |
| 1964 | 22.8 °C |
| 1965 | 22.5 °C |
| 1966 | 22.8 °C |
| 1967 | 22.6 °C |
| 1968 | 22.1 °C |
| 1969 | 23.4 °C |
| 1970 | 22.3 °C |
| 1971 | 22.5 °C |
| 1972 | 22.6 °C |
| 1973 | 21.7 °C |
| 1974 | 22.1 °C |
| 1975 | 21.2 °C |
| 1976 | 22.1 °C |
| 1977 | 22.9 °C |
| 1978 | 23.0 °C |
| 1979 | 21.9 °C |
| 1980 | 22.6 °C |
| 1981 | 23.0 °C |
| 1982 | 22.8 °C |
| 1983 | 22.1 °C |
| 1984 | 23.1 °C |
| 1985 | 22.9 °C |
| 1986 | 23.1 °C |
| 1987 | 22.5 °C |
| 1988 | 22.6 °C |
| 1989 | 24.1 °C |
| 1990 | 23.7 °C |
| 1991 | 22.4 °C |
| 1992 | 23.2 °C |
| 1993 | 23.3 °C |
| 1994 | 24.6 °C |
| 1995 | 23.2 °C |
| 1997 | 23.7 °C |
| 2000 | 25.0 °C |
| 2001 | 24.5 °C |
| 2002 | 24.8 °C |
| 2003 | 24.4 °C |
| 2004 | 23.2 °C |
| 2005 | 23.9 °C |
| 2006 | 23.8 °C |
| 2007 | 23.7 °C |
| 2008 | 22.9 °C |
| 2009 | 23.8 °C |
| 2010 | 23.9 °C |
| 2011 | 24.9 °C |
| 2012 | 24.6 °C |
| 2013 | 24.2 °C |
| 2014 | 23.9 °C |
| 2015 | 24.2 °C |
| 2016 | 24.3 °C |
| 2017 | 24.4 °C |
| 2018 | 25.1 °C |
| 2019 | 24.3 °C |
| 2020 | 25.1 °C |
| 2021 | 24.4 °C |
| 2022 | 25.0 °C |
| 2023 | 25.2 °C |
| 2024 | 25.1 °C |
| 2025 | 24.6 °C |
| 2026 | 26.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1960, Mesilla's last spring frost has come about 7 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 10 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from State Univ (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.