One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of figuring out when to plant broccoli is to look at the USDA zone info for Truth or Consequences.

Planting Calendar for Broccoli

Frost tolerance for broccoli:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Broccoli do ok in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant broccoli in Truth or Consequences is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant broccoli and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your broccoli may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your broccoli indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Truth or Consequences. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Truth or Consequences is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Truth or Consequences there is a last frost after March 15 be ready to cover your broccoli in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Truth or Consequences

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Truth or Consequences

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Truth or Consequences.