When to Pick Apples in New Mexico, and How Long They Keep
Apples in New Mexico get picked when the fruit tells you, not when the calendar does, and that window runs anywhere from mid-August to late October…
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.
Does Insulation Keep a Home in New Mexico Cool?
Yes, insulation keeps a New Mexico home cooler, and the state’s climate normals show why it matters for a real stretch of the year rather than a handful…
Does a Wall in New Mexico Need a Vapor Barrier?
Whether a New Mexico wall needs an interior vapor retarder depends on which of the state’s three climate zones that wall sits in.
Heating With Pellets in New Mexico: What a Winter Takes
Albuquerque Intl AP, the reference weather station for central New Mexico, logs about 3,996 heating degree days a year against a 65 F base, alongside…
Lygus bugs in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Lygus bugs show up in New Mexico gardens from spring through fall, with three to four overlapping generations that keep populations active almost…
Bagrada bug in New Mexico: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Bagrada bug shows up in New Mexico gardens once soil and air temperatures climb into the hot stretch of late spring and summer, targeting cole crops and…
Trees, Shrubs and Perennials for New Mexico: What Will Not Survive
New Mexico’s official hardiness range runs from 4b to 9a on the USDA scale, one of the widest spans any state carries.
How Much Insulation Does a Home in New Mexico Need?
New Mexico doesn’t have one insulation answer. The state spans three IECC climate zones, so the right R-value depends on which of the state’s 33 counties…
When to Sow Beets in New Mexico
In the Albuquerque area, the direct-seeding window for beets sits roughly two to three weeks before the last spring frost, which NOAA’s 1991-2020…
When Can You Turn the Heat Off in New Mexico?
May is the closest thing New Mexico gets to a break from heating and cooling, but even that month still logs about 175 degree days of combined demand.