Check out the NMSU Cooperative Extension Office in Silver, they're in the phone book.

I really don't do veggies, but I do grow alot of flowers. The weather in Silver is much like the weather in Ruidoso. I have grown cucumbers, squash and green beans and they do good. I don't plant anything outside until around May 15th.

May 15 is last frost date for your area, so I'd be careful about putting any vegetables into the ground before that time, unless you have adequate protection for the plants.
The information about your Cooperative Extension Service in Silver City is great, and the phone number is in your phone book. You can also go to http://extension.nmsu.edu/garden for a listing of all the Cooperative Extension offices in NM.
The New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service has tons of publications on vegetable gardening.
I have grown cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, asparagus, eggplants and other vegetables in New Mexico.
Although the weather is nothing like Oklahoma, if you'll follow the cooperative extension guidelines, you'll find you can have an extensive and enjoyable veggie garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Desert and Waterwise Gardens

I just posted gardening info on my blog this morning. I will paste it here for you to see. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

My entry from Activerain:
IÂm an avid gardener from way back so when I moved to the Southwest I had to learn some new rules.
The ground is rocky here so it is likely that you are going to have to grow vegetables in raised beds.
You probably will need to be fenced in to keep out the critters.
It takes a long time to get the top soil that is delivered to be a rich soil. What they call top soil out here is not what New Jersey gardeners would consider topsoil! Make friends with someone with horses and get manure.
You donÂt need calcium - -the soil is high in calcium. There is something called caliche which is big, hard deposits of calcium.
The plants will be smaller in general but thereÂll be good size vegetables. Back in New Jersey, the tomato plants would be 6 feet high. Out here, maybe 3 feet tall. And you donÂt have to plant each plant so far apart.
For water, I have a holding tank for rain water that helps augment watering. Be sure to let the soil dry out (the roots need oxygen). Water deeply so that the roots will go deep.
In really hot dry areas, you would lay plants on the ground so that they shade the vegetables. ThatÂs not really necessary where I am; I think it depends on how much sun your garden gets.
I find that I have less bug infestations than in New Jersey. Occasionally I had a few beetles that I Âseven (that powder that kills bugs).
It seems that every spring we have a hail storm or two. I donÂt plant outside until after May 15th. I also keep a bunch of empty pots and buckets near the garden so if I fear a hail storm, I just put a pot over each little plant to protect it. A lot less heartbreak!
In New Jersey I would use ashes from the fireplace. Out here thatÂs overdoing it. Our soil already has lots of potassium which is what ashes would be adding.
Concerning tomatoes, I have had regular issues with Âroot-end rotÂ. This is where the fruit will form, but then the end will rot and kill the tomato. There is a spray you can buy for cheap that takes care of this. Well worth a couple of bucks to avoid the heart ache.