What to plant this week in El Paso, TX
El Paso is currently in a rare deep freeze window, with temperatures dropping to 15°F and the last frost date pushing into early March. While your winter squash and ornamental gourds are safe under heavy mulch, gardeners must pause outdoor sowing until the air warms up next week.
The next 7 days
El Paso, TXGrowing in El Paso right now
- Protect all open-ground crops like watermelons and okra with row covers or plastic tunnels immediately as tonight's cold snap is severe for tender annuals.
- Wait to sow heat-loving seeds like cantaloupe, cucumber, and sunflowers until frost risk passes; soil in the Tularosa Basin may remain too cool even after air temperatures rise.
- Take this week to prepare raised beds with compost before breaking ground again in a few days when the danger of 15°F lows has fully passed.
- Check irrigation lines for freeze damage and shut off water supplies if pipes are exposed, as winter freezes can crack PVC fittings common in our desert gardens.
Sow this week
30 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Edamame
- Fennel
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Honeydew Melon
- Lima Bean
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
39 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Edamame
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Garlic
- Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Lima Bean
- Lisianthus (Prairie Gentian)
- Loofah (Luffa)
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Pumpkin
- Roselle (Cranberry Hibiscus)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Sweet Potato
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession sow bush beans and pole beans every two weeks for continuous harvests.
- Mulch around young summer squash and watermelons to retain soil moisture as temperatures rise.
- Pinch back the tips of zinnias and cosmos to encourage bushier growth and more blooms.
Pest & disease watch
- Spider mites will explode once temperatures stabilize above 60°F, so inspect the undersides of zinnias and cosmos weekly.
- Watch for early-season aphid colonies forming on new growth of basil and shiso as spring approaches.
- Dry rot in stored winter squash is a risk if husks are wet; harvest pumpkins and yellow summer squash now while they are hard to prevent mold from setting in.
Watering this week
Water deeply in the morning to keep roots hydrated and reduce evaporation during hot afternoons.
Harvest bush beans when pods are tender but before they begin to flower or turn woody.
El Paso gardening questions
3Can I plant bush beans this week despite the cold forecast?
Instead, use this time to start your basil or fennel indoors if you want a head start on the upcoming warm season.
When should I harvest my winter squash and pumpkins?
Cure harvested gourds in a warm, dry place for two weeks before storing them to extend their shelf life through the winter.
Are my transplanted okra and watermelons safe right now?
If any plants show damage after the freeze, cut back damaged stems rather than trying to save leafless plants until new growth appears.
Other cities in zone 8b
12See the full zone 8b guide → · Plan your El Paso garden in SproutGuide →