Your seasonal context
Understand the place before the date.
The 86504 area uses a representative location near 35.745°, -109.076°. In the nearby historical climate grid, July is the warmest month on average (24.0°C), while December is the coolest (-0.0°C). July has the highest mean daily precipitation (1.34 mm).
Monthly mean temperatures are below freezing in December. Outdoor planting during those months needs a separate protected-growing assessment. Tomatoes are frost sensitive: confirm local frost guidance and suitable soil conditions before sowing or transplanting.
Light at your latitude
At 35.745° N, the length of the day changes independently of temperature. Compare the middle of three seasons when planning your garden.
Geometric daylight estimate from latitude and solar declination, rounded to 0.1 hour. This is time above a flat horizon, excluding atmospheric refraction, hills, buildings and cloud cover. It is not the direct-sun exposure of your bed. About solar-position calculations.
| Month | Mean air temperature | Mean precipitation / day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0.1°C (32°F) | 0.59 mm |
| February | 1.6°C (35°F) | 0.61 mm |
| March | 5.8°C (42°F) | 0.40 mm |
| April | 9.8°C (50°F) | 0.36 mm |
| May | 15.3°C (60°F) | 0.37 mm |
| June | 22.0°C (72°F) | 0.19 mm |
| July | 24.0°C (75°F) | 1.34 mm |
| August | 22.2°C (72°F) | 1.19 mm |
| September | 18.5°C (65°F) | 0.94 mm |
| October | 11.4°C (53°F) | 0.56 mm |
| November | 5.0°C (41°F) | 0.49 mm |
| December | -0.0°C (32°F) | 0.61 mm |
NASA POWER regional grid, 0.5° latitude × 0.625° longitude. Grid center 35.500°, -109.375°. Monthly mean air temperature is neither a nightly low nor soil temperature. Rainfall averages do not set a watering schedule. Open the climate source.
Compare nearby places
Tomatoes around 86504
Explore the closest listed postal areas by straight-line distance between their representative coordinates. A nearby garden may still have different soil, shelter or elevation.
| Postal area | Distance | Jan | Jul |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Defiance86504 · this area | — | 0.1°C | 24.0°C |
| Window RockAZ 86515 | 8.6 km | 0.1°C | 24.0°C |
| Saint MichaelsAZ 86511 | 11.2 km | 0.1°C | 24.0°C |
| NavajoNM 87328 | 17.3 km | -0.6°C | 24.0°C |
| Mexican SpringsNM 87320 | 23.6 km | -0.6°C | 24.0°C |
| GamercoNM 87317 | 34.0 km | -0.5°C | 23.2°C |
| MentmoreNM 87319 | 34.7 km | -0.5°C | 23.2°C |
Distances use GeoNames representative postal coordinates, which may be estimated; they are not driving distances. Nearby areas often share one NASA POWER grid cell, so identical climate values are expected. Differences shown here describe the climate grids, not a measured difference between individual gardens.
The growing checklist
Give tomatoes a considered start.
Check the root ball while the plant settles in. Keep moisture consistent without leaving the roots in saturated soil, and put supports in place while plants are small.
- Choose a variety suited to your available space and compare its days to maturity with local seasonal guidance.
- Harden off established transplants before planting outdoors.
- Confirm a suitable frost-free window with your local forecast and gardening adviser.
- Inspect soil moisture and drainage in the actual bed. Regional rainfall averages cannot tell you whether roots need water today.
Read University of Minnesota Extension vegetable guidance. Its crop-care principles are useful here; its Minnesota planting dates are not applied to Arizona.
One small next step
Make a date to check your garden.
Choose your own reminder date after checking local advice. This is a personal planning prompt, not a calculated planting recommendation.
An .ics file works with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook. Your chosen date stays in your browser until you download it.
What this postal area includes
Fort Defiance.
A ZIP area is a postal geography, not a neighborhood or municipal boundary. Place names may include multiple communities. The representative coordinates may be estimated. Nearby gardens can differ in elevation, shelter, slope and soil.
