One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant painted tongues in Las Cruces can be estimated by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Painted Tongues

Frost tolerance for painted tongues:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since painted tongues require warm weather you really should wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant painted tongues in Las Cruces is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant painted tongues and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your painted tongues may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your painted tongues indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Las Cruces. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Las Cruces is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Las Cruces you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so always be ready to cover your painted tongues in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Las Cruces

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 Las Cruces

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Las Cruces.