USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 85911 — Cibecue, Arizona
Averages from Heber (Black Mesa) Rs, Az US, the nearest reporting station, 20 miles away.
Plant tender crops after May 23, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 5. That leaves about 135 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- May 23
- First fall frost
- October 5
- Growing season
- 135 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
0 to 5°F annual low
- First snow
- December 16
- Last snow
- February 28
- Winters with snow
- 93%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
28 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Cibecue, Arizona
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Cibecue, Arizona usually arrives around December 16, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Heber (Black Mesa) Rs, Az US: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 93% of those winters.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 85911
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 14 – March 28 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 28 – April 11 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 25 – May 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 13 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 21 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 5 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after May 23 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Cibecue, Arizona are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 5, which leaves roughly 135 frost-free days.
ZIP 85911 sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 0 to 5°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.