When to plant in Alexander, AR
Planting dates worked out from Alexander's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 17
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 23
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 8
1 year in 10 by Oct 29
Frost-free days
230
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Benton · 16.1 km away · station 106 m, town 109 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 19 – Jan 26 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 4 |
| Peas | — | Feb 9 – Mar 9 | Apr 5 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 2 – Apr 13 | May 1 |
| Beet | — | Feb 23 – Apr 6 | Apr 14 |
| Potato | — | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 11 |
| Kale | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 7 |
| Broccoli | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Feb 23 – Mar 16 | Apr 24 |
| Cucumber | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 1 |
| Winter squash | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 23 – Mar 16 | May 24 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 25 – Nov 22 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 9 – Mar 9 | Mar 19 |
| Basil | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 13 |
Alexander's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1910 | Apr 27 |
| 1912 | Apr 7 |
| 1938 | Apr 10 |
| 1939 | Apr 20 |
| 1940 | Apr 13 |
| 1941 | Mar 30 |
| 1942 | Apr 2 |
| 1943 | Apr 21 |
| 1944 | Apr 6 |
| 1945 | Apr 7 |
| 1946 | Mar 12 |
| 1948 | Mar 30 |
| 1949 | Mar 21 |
| 1950 | Mar 30 |
| 1951 | Apr 17 |
| 1952 | Apr 15 |
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | Apr 2 |
| 1955 | Mar 31 |
| 1956 | Apr 8 |
| 1957 | Apr 14 |
| 1958 | Apr 8 |
| 1959 | Apr 14 |
| 1960 | Apr 5 |
| 1961 | Apr 16 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | Mar 27 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1966 | Mar 29 |
| 1967 | Mar 22 |
| 1968 | Apr 5 |
| 1969 | Mar 21 |
| 1970 | Apr 6 |
| 1971 | Apr 8 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 9 |
| 1975 | Apr 5 |
| 1976 | Apr 10 |
| 1977 | Apr 6 |
| 1978 | Mar 28 |
| 1979 | Apr 5 |
| 1980 | Apr 15 |
| 1981 | Mar 25 |
| 1982 | Apr 11 |
| 1983 | Apr 19 |
| 1984 | Mar 11 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Mar 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Mar 20 |
| 1989 | Mar 23 |
| 1990 | Apr 7 |
| 1991 | Feb 27 |
| 1992 | Mar 24 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1996 | May 2 |
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 2005 | Mar 17 |
| 2010 | Mar 6 |
| 2012 | Mar 5 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2015 | Mar 7 |
| 2016 | Mar 22 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Apr 9 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Mar 7 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Apr 10 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 20 |
| 2025 | Mar 22 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1910 | 184 |
| 1912 | 208 |
| 1938 | 195 |
| 1939 | 177 |
| 1940 | 207 |
| 1942 | 178 |
| 1943 | 177 |
| 1944 | 188 |
| 1945 | 210 |
| 1946 | 213 |
| 1948 | 201 |
| 1949 | 223 |
| 1950 | 219 |
| 1951 | 198 |
| 1953 | 190 |
| 1954 | 210 |
| 1955 | 207 |
| 1956 | 201 |
| 1957 | 194 |
| 1959 | 205 |
| 1960 | 198 |
| 1961 | 186 |
| 1962 | 201 |
| 1963 | 219 |
| 1964 | 193 |
| 1966 | 204 |
| 1967 | 190 |
| 1968 | 202 |
| 1969 | 207 |
| 1970 | 186 |
| 1971 | 209 |
| 1972 | 199 |
| 1973 | 212 |
| 1974 | 219 |
| 1975 | 196 |
| 1976 | 190 |
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1978 | 203 |
| 1979 | 211 |
| 1980 | 192 |
| 1981 | 212 |
| 1982 | 194 |
| 1983 | 206 |
| 1984 | 244 |
| 1985 | 179 |
| 1986 | 234 |
| 1987 | 191 |
| 1988 | 241 |
| 1989 | 209 |
| 1990 | 235 |
| 1991 | 247 |
| 1992 | 225 |
| 1993 | 182 |
| 1996 | 184 |
| 2010 | 237 |
| 2012 | 252 |
| 2014 | 230 |
| 2015 | 259 |
| 2016 | 235 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 214 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 264 |
| 2021 | 215 |
| 2023 | 223 |
| 2024 | 254 |
| 2025 | 232 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1907 | 23.4 °C |
| 1910 | 23.2 °C |
| 1912 | 23.2 °C |
| 1938 | 23.5 °C |
| 1939 | 22.8 °C |
| 1940 | 21.1 °C |
| 1941 | 23.4 °C |
| 1942 | 21.9 °C |
| 1943 | 23.4 °C |
| 1944 | 22.5 °C |
| 1945 | 21.4 °C |
| 1946 | 21.6 °C |
| 1948 | 23.1 °C |
| 1949 | 22.0 °C |
| 1950 | 22.0 °C |
| 1951 | 22.4 °C |
| 1952 | 22.5 °C |
| 1953 | 23.4 °C |
| 1954 | 24.8 °C |
| 1955 | 23.2 °C |
| 1956 | 23.1 °C |
| 1957 | 22.7 °C |
| 1959 | 23.3 °C |
| 1960 | 23.2 °C |
| 1962 | 23.8 °C |
| 1963 | 23.5 °C |
| 1964 | 24.0 °C |
| 1966 | 22.3 °C |
| 1967 | 21.8 °C |
| 1968 | 22.3 °C |
| 1969 | 23.2 °C |
| 1970 | 23.7 °C |
| 1971 | 22.6 °C |
| 1972 | 23.4 °C |
| 1973 | 22.6 °C |
| 1974 | 22.5 °C |
| 1975 | 22.6 °C |
| 1976 | 21.7 °C |
| 1977 | 24.0 °C |
| 1978 | 23.4 °C |
| 1979 | 22.2 °C |
| 1980 | 24.7 °C |
| 1981 | 23.2 °C |
| 1982 | 22.6 °C |
| 1983 | 22.8 °C |
| 1984 | 22.6 °C |
| 1985 | 23.4 °C |
| 1986 | 23.7 °C |
| 1987 | 24.1 °C |
| 1988 | 23.3 °C |
| 1989 | 23.0 °C |
| 1990 | 24.1 °C |
| 1991 | 24.2 °C |
| 1992 | 22.6 °C |
| 1993 | 22.6 °C |
| 2005 | 24.0 °C |
| 2007 | 23.9 °C |
| 2009 | 23.0 °C |
| 2010 | 26.1 °C |
| 2012 | 25.6 °C |
| 2014 | 23.3 °C |
| 2015 | 24.6 °C |
| 2016 | 24.6 °C |
| 2017 | 23.7 °C |
| 2018 | 24.4 °C |
| 2019 | 24.6 °C |
| 2020 | 23.1 °C |
| 2021 | 23.5 °C |
| 2022 | 24.5 °C |
| 2023 | 24.6 °C |
| 2024 | 24.6 °C |
| 2025 | 24.9 °C |
| 2026 | 26.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1910, Alexander's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Benton (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.