What to plant this week in Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe gardeners are in the thick of midsummer heat with a frost-free window extending into late October, allowing you to harvest your New Mexico chilies and melons while sowing cool crops like bush beans and basil. The city's high elevation and diurnal temperature swings create rapid ripening conditions, but you must guard against intense afternoon sun scorching young seedlings or stressing heavy feeders.
The next 7 days
Santa Fe, NMGrowing in Santa Fe right now
- The arid Santa Fe climate demands strict moisture management; mulch heavily to retain soil water and reduce the frequency of deep irrigations needed for crops like okra and squash.
- Take advantage of the cool nights by planting heat-loving beans directly now, as they thrive in our dry air once the ground has warmed past spring's chill.
- Watch for late-season cold snaps before Oct 24; bring tender transplants like Thai basil indoors if a sudden drop below freezing is forecasted despite the typical timeline.
- Amend your clay-heavy soils with organic matter to improve drainage and aeration, which is crucial for root development in our unique high-desert terrain.
Sow this week
17 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cucumber
- French Marigold
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Summer Savory
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
58 crops- Anaheim (New Mexico) Pepper
- Banana Pepper
- Basil
- Beefsteak Tomato
- Beet
- Bell Pepper
- Borage
- Brussels Sprouts
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Carrot
- Cayenne Pepper
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Dahlia
- Edamame
- Eggplant
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Geranium (Zonal)
- Garden Verbena
- Garlic
- Honeydew Melon
- Jalapeño
- Lantana
- Lima Bean
- Malabar Spinach
- Marconi Pepper
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine
- Parsley
- Parsnip
- Petunia
- Poblano Pepper
- Pole Bean
- Potato
- Roma Tomato
- Rutabaga
- Scallion (Bunching Onion)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Serrano Pepper
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Snapdragon
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Tomatillo
- Tomato
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession sow bush beans and pole beans every two weeks for a continuous harvest throughout the summer.
- Mulch around young tomato and pepper plants to retain soil moisture as temperatures rise above 80°F.
- Thin carrot and beet seedlings now to prevent overcrowding and ensure sturdy root development.
Pest & disease watch
- Spider mites are exploding on squash and beans due to the hot, dry winds common this week; mist plants early morning or apply horticultural oil.
- Aphids cluster on new growth of cucumbers and zinnias during these heatwaves, requiring immediate hand-picking or insecticidal soap sprays.
- Late-season flea beetles are chewing holes in young bean leaves before the plants establish enough vigor to tolerate minor damage.
Watering this week
Water deeply in the early morning to encourage deep root growth and reduce evaporation losses during this hot season.
Harvest sweet corn when the kernels are milky and firm, not yet hard or fully browned, for peak sweetness.
Santa Fe gardening questions
3Can I still start tomatoes this week in Santa Fe?
No new transplants should be started now as the soil is too hot and dry, but you can harvest beefsteak and Roma varieties that are already maturing. Focus your energy on direct sowing cool-season beans like bush beans which love our current temperatures.
What is the best way to preserve my New Mexico chilies before the first frost?
Harvest your Anaheim, jalapeño, and poblano peppers now while they are fully colored but not yet dried by the sun. You can hang them in a warm, dry shed or jar them immediately for winter use.
My squash leaves look yellow and crunchy; what is happening?
This is likely spider mite damage exacerbated by our high heat and low humidity, common issues for Yellow Summer Squash this time of year. Spray the undersides of leaves with water in the morning or apply a neem oil solution to control the infestation.
Other cities in zone 6b
12See the full zone 6b guide → · Plan your Santa Fe garden in SproutGuide →