When to Cut Spinach in New Mexico, and How Long It Really Keeps
In Albuquerque, the reference city for this page, spinach has two cutting seasons.
New Mexico
Home and garden guidance for New Mexico: planting dates for its climate zones, the codes that apply locally, and the rebates residents can actually claim.
Gardening in New Mexico
Everything we have worked out for New Mexico: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Albuquerque, the last spring freeze runs March 31 to April 12 and the first fall freeze runs October 29 to November 9, USDA zones 4b-9a, 4,341 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in New Mexico: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in New Mexico, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is a thing you check by eye, not a week on the calendar.
What Eats Asparagus in New Mexico, and When
This page carries no verified data on insects or diseases, so it is not a pest list.
What Eats Corn in New Mexico, and When
Corn in New Mexico gets eaten by three things before it reaches the table: soil too cold for the seed, a season too short for the variety, and a second…
What Eats Pumpkin in New Mexico, and When
The first thing that can eat a pumpkin crop in New Mexico is the calendar. A pumpkin needs 45 to 55 days from the day its flower opens to the day it…
When to Dethatch a Lawn in New Mexico
Most New Mexico lawns never need dethatching. If a spade-cut wedge shows a spongy layer thicker than 0.75 inch, though, the timing depends on your grass.
When to Plant Grass Seed in New Mexico
For a cool-season lawn (tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass), the target is late summer to early fall, timed so the seedlings get about…
When to Aerate a Lawn in New Mexico
For a cool-season lawn in New Mexico, aerate in early fall while the grass is still growing, and finish before the first fall frost window of October 29…
How Late Can You Plant Trees and Shrubs in Fall in New Mexico?
Aim to have trees and shrubs in the ground by September 17 to September 28, which is six weeks before the first fall frost at the Albuquerque airport…
Hedge Plants for New Mexico: What Holds, and What Only Looks Hardy
New Mexico runs from USDA zone 4b to 9a, and that spread decides which hedge you can plant.