Sow Asian greens in New Mexico twice a year: in early spring, a few weeks before the last frost, and again from late summer into early fall. Midsummer sowings mostly fail, and winter crops need cover. The dates shift by weeks between the Rio Grande valley and the northern mountains, so treat any calendar as a starting point and let your own garden settle the rest.
The short answer for New Mexico
Sow outdoors starting about four weeks before your last spring frost, then again from late August through September for the fall crop. At the Albuquerque reference station, the last spring frost falls between March 31 and April 12. The first fall frost falls between October 29 and November 9. Both ranges come from NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals. They mark where the odds of a freeze at 32°F or colder sit between 30 and 70 percent. A freeze can still arrive after the later spring date or before the earlier fall date.
These are airport figures. Suburban and rural gardens usually see the last spring frost one to two weeks later and the first fall frost one to two weeks earlier, and elevation widens that gap further. Treat the dates as the reference-city picture, then adjust for your own ground.
When do you sow Asian greens in spring?
Counting back from the March 31 to April 12 band gives a sowing window for a valley garden like Albuquerque’s, and your county extension office can confirm the local date. Bok choy, tatsoi, mizuna, komatsuna and mustard greens shrug off light frost, so the seedlings can sit out a cold snap. Sow short rows every two weeks until the weather turns hot.
Spring is a race. Full heads of bok choy take a good stretch of the season, and those days are counted from sowing. As days lengthen and afternoons warm, the plants send up flower stalks. Quick types sown early finish before that happens.
When do you sow Asian greens for fall?
Fall is the easier season. Warm soil in late summer germinates seed fast, and the plants grow into cooling nights instead of heat. Counting back from the October 29 to November 9 band, heading types like bok choy should go in well before the frost date, and your county extension office can confirm the local deadline. Baby leaf crops and mizuna can follow into late September.
Sowing every two weeks stretches the harvest well past the first light frost, which often sweetens the leaves. For help choosing types that suit a short window, see The Best Asian Greens for New Mexico.
What will not work here
Summer sowing and unprotected winter crops are the two big failures. Both come from the same cause: a climate with real swings, from hot dry afternoons to freezing nights. Asian greens are shallow-rooted, fast-growing leaf crops that want cool, evenly moist conditions.
Can you sow Asian greens in June or July?
Rarely, and the plants usually make you regret it. Heat and long days push Asian greens to bolt before they make a usable head. Hot, dry air also strips water from a shallow seedbed in hours. A bed watered once a week cannot keep up. Seedlings need light watering until they are established, and shade cloth over the row helps a great deal. Flea beetles, which chew small holes in leaves, thrive in warm, dry weather and can shred young plants.
Sowing in late April or May has the same problem on a smaller scale. A crop that is ready in June is ready just as the heat arrives. Skip those sowings and wait for late summer.
Can Asian greens stay outdoors all winter?
Not without protection. The mean daily minimum of the coldest month at the Albuquerque reference station is 26.4°F. That means most January nights drop below freezing, and many drop well below it. Tatsoi and mizuna tolerate light freezes. Bok choy and napa cabbage take damage in hard ones. Row cover or a low tunnel over a fall planting takes the edge off the cold and keeps the leaves harvestable into winter. Gardens at higher elevation run colder than the reference city, so a cover there is a necessity.
Early spring wind causes a quieter failure. Strong spring winds dry out an uncovered seedbed and flatten young plants. A light row cover or a windbreak of straw bales protects the early sowings.
What changes across New Mexico
New Mexico does not have a single answer. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023, built on 1991-2020 normals) runs from zone 4b to zone 9a across the state. That is a spread of several zones, from cold mountain valleys to the warmest southern desert. The zone system rests on one variable, the average annual extreme minimum temperature. It tells you what survives the winter. It does not tell you when to sow a fast crop of greens. To find which zone your garden falls in, check the USDA map for your location.
Still, the spread tells you which way to shift. Gardens in the north and at altitude have a later last frost, an earlier first frost, and a shorter season in between. Spring sowing slides toward April or later. Fall sowing starts earlier and favors quick baby leaf crops over heading types. Wherever a garden sits above the reference city, add one to two weeks of delay in spring and subtract the same in fall, and more at higher elevation.
Low-elevation gardens in the south lean the other way. The spring window closes early because heat arrives early. The fall window stays open longer, and a cover can carry crops through most of winter. If you are still deciding what to grow, start with Growing Asian Greens in New Mexico for the overview.
Where to check this for your own county
Your state extension service is the best next stop. In New Mexico that is the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, which has offices that serve each county. Look for two things there: a local vegetable planting calendar, and any list of varieties trialled in your county. A trial matters because it shows which types grew well in your conditions, not just in a seed catalog.
If a county calendar does not exist, call or visit the office and ask when local gardeners sow cool-season greens, and what frost dates they plan around. County agents and Master Gardener volunteers hear the same questions every year and know the local pattern.
A county recommendation beats a state one, and a statewide calendar can only average gardens that differ by weeks. A valley with cold air pooling at night, a south-facing slope, and a mountain town all sit in the same state and follow different schedules. Use the state dates to plan roughly, then let the county advice set the actual days.
Checking this against your own garden
Your own observations outrank any published date, and three of them need no equipment.
- Soil warmth by feel. Push your hand into the bed in the morning. Soil that feels cool but not cold is ready for a first sowing of greens. A bed that stays cold well after a neighbor’s has warmed is shaded or sits low. Sow that bed later.
- The first true leaves. After the seed leaves open, the first true leaves should appear as the plant grows on. If they are slow, the bed is cooler than the calendar suggests. If they appear fast and the plants stretch, the bed runs warm and bolting will come early.
- Your own first frost. Note when frost first whitens the grass or a car windshield, and when basil or squash blackens. Compare it with the reference dates. A garden that frosts a week early should move its fall sowings a week earlier.
Keep a few notes from year to year. After two seasons, your own record of these three signs will give you better dates than any chart.
Common questions
Can I sow Asian greens in New Mexico in winter?
Only under cover. With a coldest-month mean daily minimum of 26.4°F at the reference station, seed sown outdoors in midwinter sits in cold soil and germinates slowly. A low tunnel or cold frame makes sense in the milder southern valleys.
How early can I sow bok choy outdoors?
About four weeks before the last spring frost. Colder, higher gardens should wait until April.
Do Asian greens need shade in a New Mexico summer?
Yes, if you try to grow them then. Shade cloth lowers soil temperature and slows drying. Most gardeners do better skipping the hottest weeks and sowing again in late August.
How often should I sow Asian greens?
Every two weeks during each window. A short row at a time gives a steady harvest. Spring sowings also keep working after heat arrives, because a later row finishes while an earlier one bolts.