Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
mesquite (zones 7-11) does not overlap with Wyoming's zone range (3b-6a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Mesquite is hardy to zone 9, and the warmest ground in Wyoming is zone 6 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Wyoming winter. To grow it here, grow mesquite in a container and move it under cover for the coldest weeks, or give it a greenhouse.
Season extension and overwintering under cover both work at this margin. How to buy the weeks →
Zone math from 9-12 (plant) against 3-6 (Wyoming). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Wyoming spans zones 3b-6a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score mesquite against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Mesquite Needs
- USDA Zones: 7-11
- Frost-Free Days: 365+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 30 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: High
Wyoming Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-6a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): May 4 - May 13
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 30 - Oct 7
- Annual Rainfall: 6-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Clay, Alkaline
Plant Zone Range (zones 7-11)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Mesquite in Wyoming
The frost window
Across Wyoming, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 4 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 30 and Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 140-day window you can count on — up to 156 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Wyoming runs as cold as USDA zone 3, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for mesquite, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether mesquite is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Wyoming; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Teton County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says mesquite does not survive a Wyoming winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Wyoming under protection.
Frost-free days
Mesquite wants 365+ frost-free days; a typical Wyoming site sees ~151 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 214 days short of what it needs. A typical Wyoming season does not carry this crop to harvest outdoors, and a gap that size is not one an earlier sowing date or a faster cultivar closes; growing it here means growing it under cover.
Chill hours
Mesquite has no winter-chill requirement — its listed minimum is 0 hours (USDA PLANTS Database). Wyoming typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so chill is not a constraint on this plant here — and not evidence in its favour either. Winter survival and season length are what decide it.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Mesquite likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Wyoming's sandy loam and clay — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Wyoming soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Wyoming site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Wyoming's soils run mostly loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Mesquite needs about 59 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how mesquite performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Wyoming soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Mesquite in Wyoming — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 7-11 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 3b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about May 4 - May 13 to Sep 30 - Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Mesquite in Wyoming
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Wyoming growers also need to think about:
Extremely short growing season (60-90 frost-free days)
Very low rainfall requires irrigation
Persistent high winds desiccate and damage plants
Growing mesquite here specifically
Mesquite prefers pH 5.5–8.5 and room to root deep; across much of Wyoming, restrictive group-D subsoil (SSURGO) blocks that depth.
Build mesquite a deep raised bed of loose soil to bypass the dense subsoil entirely. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Wyoming grower, not just mesquite — is covered on the Wyoming growing guide.
Timing shifts within Wyoming
Wyoming isn't one climate. In Teton County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Jun 16 — roughly 41 days later than the recorded state median — so plant mesquite to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Mesquite needs about 365 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. No Wyoming county gives it that outdoors: even Big Horn County, the state’s longest season at 166 frost-free days, falls 199 days short — so it needs transplants, a short-season variety, or covered growing.
Across Wyoming’s 23 counties the frost-free season runs from 79 days in Teton County to 166 days in Big Horn County — a spread of 87 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Wyoming county sees 151 frost-free days, which is 214 days short of what mesquite needs — so on a typical Wyoming parcel this is a transplant-or-protect crop, not a direct-sow one.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Mesquite's 365-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Mesquite draws honeybees and native bees (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, mesquite can only work that bloom inside Wyoming's frost window — roughly 151 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (May 4 - May 13) and closing at the first (Sep 30 - Oct 7), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Wyoming Cooperative Extension
For Wyoming-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for mesquite, the canonical source is University of Wyoming Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Mesquite native to Wyoming?
Mesquite is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Wyoming. It can still earn a place in a Wyoming garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Wyoming growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Mesquite in Wyoming
When can I plant Mesquite in Wyoming?
Wyoming's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 4 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 30 and Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Mesquite, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Wyoming and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Mesquite grown in across Wyoming?
Wyoming spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Mesquite carries a range of zones 7-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Wyoming site have?
A typical Wyoming site sees ~151 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Mesquite needs 365+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Teton, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Mesquite native to Wyoming?
Mesquite is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Wyoming. It can still earn a place in a Wyoming garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Mesquite in Wyoming?
Mesquite prefers pH 5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Wyoming soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Mesquite actually grow on my specific land in Wyoming?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores mesquite against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Wyoming
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores mesquite against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Wyoming mesquite averages can't show:
We read public map data around Wyoming — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Wyoming mesquite average
Explore More
Growing guides for mesquite
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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