Gardening in New Mexico: What the Season Actually Allows
New Mexico gardening runs on a short, hot, unevenly timed calendar: a frost-free window of roughly six and a half months bookended by cold snaps, a…
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.
Beet leafhopper in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus) doesn’t arrive on a fixed date in New Mexico.
Spotted cucumber beetle in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Spotted cucumber beetles start showing up in New Mexico gardens as early as mid-April in the lower Rio Grande Valley and southern desert zones, and as…
Grasshoppers in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Grasshoppers become a real problem across New Mexico from late May through early October, with the sharpest spikes hitting rangeland and gardens in July…
Striped cucumber beetle in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Striped cucumber beetles typically appear in New Mexico gardens between late April and early May in the southern valleys, and closer to late May at…
Corn earworm in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Corn earworm moths reach southern New Mexico’s low desert valleys, places like Las Cruces, Deming, and Artesia, as early as April because some pupae…
Thrips in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Thrips show up in New Mexico as soon as daytime temperatures push past 70°F, usually mid-April in the Rio Grande Valley and closer to late May at higher…
Squash bug in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash bugs start showing up in New Mexico gardens as soon as soil temperatures climb past 65°F, which in the Mesilla Valley and other low desert areas…
Aphids in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Aphids show up in New Mexico as soon as daytime temperatures hold steady in the 65-75°F range, which happens anywhere from late February in the low…
Garden Pests in New Mexico: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
A rundown of the ten insect pests New Mexico State University Extension flags for home gardens, with identification tips and timing for each.