Arkansas vegetable planting calendar 2027: frost dates and when to plant
In Arkansas, the average last spring frost is March 21 in Little Rock (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Below are planting dates for Little Rock for 27 common vegetables and herbs, worked out the way the Rowtime app does it: NOAA's average frost dates for the nearest weather station, with the planting rules of state extension guides. Dates are for the 2027 season.
Rowtime: Garden Planner works these dates out for your own ZIP code in Arkansas, shows where each one comes from, and recalculates when a planting slips. Get Rowtime on the App Store.
Dates are estimates. Check your local extension office before you plant, and use your own frost records if you have them. Dates shift by a week or more within a state, so pick the city closest to your conditions.
Little Rock
When to plant tomatoes in Little Rock?
In Little Rock, Arkansas, the average last spring frost is March 21 and the average first fall frost is November 10 (NOAA 1991-2020 normals, LITTLE ROCK AP ADAMS FLD station, 4.4 km from ZIP 72201). For tomatoes, plant out seedlings February 18 to May 20, start seeds indoors February 23 to May 1 and plant out seedlings for fall July 12 to July 26, following University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and University of Maryland Extension (Home & Garden Information Center). Dates are for the 2027 season; sources last checked October 24, 2026.
Frost dates for Little Rock (72201)
- Last spring frost: Mar 21 on average, Apr 6 for a 10% risk of a later frost.
- First fall frost: Nov 10 on average, Oct 29 for a 10% risk of an earlier frost.
- USDA hardiness zone 8a (PRISM 2023 listing).
| Crop | When |
|---|---|
| Beet | Sow outdoors: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Sow outdoors for fall: Aug 26 to Sep 12 |
| Broccoli | Plant out seedlings: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Start seeds indoors: Feb 2 to Mar 11 Plant out seedlings for fall: Aug 12 to Sep 12 |
| Cabbage | Plant out seedlings: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Start seeds indoors: Jan 26 to Feb 22 Plant out seedlings for fall: Aug 21 to Sep 12 |
| Carrot | Sow outdoors: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Sow outdoors for fall: Aug 12 to Aug 26 |
| Cauliflower | Plant out seedlings: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Start seeds indoors: Feb 9 to Mar 11 Plant out seedlings for fall: Aug 21 to Sep 12 |
| Cucumber | Sow outdoors: Mar 21 to May 20 Sow outdoors for fall: Aug 12 to Aug 26 |
| Eggplant | Start seeds indoors: Mar 12 to Apr 10 Plant out seedlings: Mar 21 to May 20 Plant out seedlings for fall: Jul 10 to Jul 30 |
| Green onion | Plant out seedlings: Jan 1 to Mar 15 Plant out seedlings for fall: Sep 1 to Dec 31 |
| Kale | Sow outdoors: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Sow outdoors for fall: Aug 31 to Sep 26 |
| Lettuce | Sow outdoors: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Sow outdoors for fall: Aug 31 to Sep 26 |
| Melon and watermelon | Sow outdoors: Mar 21 to May 20 |
| Okra | Sow outdoors: Mar 21 to May 20 Sow outdoors for fall: Jun 15 to Jul 10 |
| Onion | Plant onion sets: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Plant out seedlings for fall: Oct 10 to Nov 10 |
| Pea | Sow outdoors: Nov 20 to Apr 19 |
| Pepper | Start seeds indoors: Feb 23 to Mar 25 Plant out seedlings: Mar 21 to May 20 Plant out seedlings for fall: Jul 25 to Aug 10 |
| Potato | Plant seed potatoes: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Plant seed potatoes for fall: Jul 26 to Aug 12 |
| Snap bean | Sow outdoors: Feb 18 to Aug 20 Sow outdoors for fall: Aug 12 to Sep 12 |
| Spinach | Sow outdoors: Jan 21 to Apr 19 Sow outdoors for fall: Sep 5 to Sep 26 |
| Summer squash | Sow outdoors: Mar 21 to May 20 Sow outdoors for fall: Jul 26 to Aug 26 |
| Sweet corn | Sow outdoors: Feb 18 to Aug 20 Sow outdoors for fall: Jul 12 to Jul 26 |
| Sweet potato | Plant out slips: Mar 21 to Jun 19 Sprout slips indoors: Mar 26 to Apr 24 |
| Tomato | Plant out seedlings: Feb 18 to May 20 Start seeds indoors: Feb 23 to May 1 Plant out seedlings for fall: Jul 12 to Jul 26 |
| Winter squash and pumpkin | Sow outdoors: Apr 20 to Jul 20 |
| Basil | Plant outdoors: Apr 24 to Jul 24 |
| Cilantro | Sow outdoors: Jan 25 to Mar 24 Sow outdoors for fall: Sep 18 to Oct 2 |
| Dill | Sow outdoors: Mar 9 to Mar 24 Sow outdoors for fall: Aug 3 to Sep 17 |
| Parsley | Sow outdoors: Feb 7 to Mar 14 Sow outdoors for fall: Jul 21 to Sep 29 |
Sources
Planting rules, in the order Rowtime tries them here:
- University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Spring and Summer Planting Dates; Fall Planting Dates (zone C). Checked October 21, 2026.
- University of Georgia Extension, Vegetable Gardening in Georgia (Vegetable Planting Chart) (Circular 963). Checked October 21, 2026.
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide (Table 8) (E-502). Checked October 20, 2026.
- University of Maryland Extension (Home & Garden Information Center), Vegetable Planting Calendar for Central Maryland. Checked October 24, 2026.
- NC State Extension, Central North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (AG-756-01). Checked October 21, 2026.
Frost dates, locations and zones:
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 annual/seasonal (freeze probabilities).
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer Files: ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University / USDA ARS, 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map ZIP code listings. PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed 20 Oct 2026.
How the dates are worked out: a guide's rule such as "two weeks after the last frost" is applied to the station's NOAA date. Purdue's dates are 10% dates, so they are counted from the station's 10% date. When a guide gives no last date, the window closes early enough for the crop's longest days to harvest before the first fall frost. When a guide gives no first date for a fall planting, no fall window is shown. "Season too short" means the guide's window would close before it opens at this station's frost dates.
Other states
All states Alabama Alaska Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming