When to plant in Fairfield Bay, AR
Planting dates worked out from Fairfield Bay's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 22
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 6
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 9
Frost-free days
194
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Mtn View · 32.2 km away · station 218 m, town 265 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 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 16 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 21 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 2 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 18 |
| Peas | — | Feb 23 – Mar 23 | Apr 19 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 4 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 16 – Apr 27 | May 15 |
| Beet | — | Mar 9 – Apr 20 | Apr 28 |
| Potato | — | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | May 25 |
| Kale | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 21 |
| Broccoli | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | May 8 |
| Cucumber | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 11 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 6 |
| Winter squash | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jul 11 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 14 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | Jun 7 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 23 – Mar 23 | Apr 2 |
| Basil | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 18 |
Fairfield Bay'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 |
|---|---|
| 1963 | Mar 22 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Mar 30 |
| 1966 | Apr 5 |
| 1967 | Mar 19 |
| 1968 | Apr 6 |
| 1969 | Mar 30 |
| 1970 | Mar 27 |
| 1971 | Apr 14 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 12 |
| 1974 | Apr 10 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | May 5 |
| 1977 | Mar 23 |
| 1978 | Apr 22 |
| 1979 | Apr 28 |
| 1980 | Apr 14 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Mar 31 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Mar 31 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 28 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 1 |
| 1996 | Apr 7 |
| 1997 | Apr 17 |
| 1998 | Mar 23 |
| 1999 | Apr 17 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 11 |
| 2011 | Mar 11 |
| 2012 | Mar 10 |
| 2013 | Apr 25 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2015 | Mar 8 |
| 2016 | Mar 28 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 1 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
| 2024 | Mar 27 |
| 2025 | Mar 10 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 224 |
| 1964 | 179 |
| 1965 | 208 |
| 1966 | 193 |
| 1967 | 193 |
| 1968 | 201 |
| 1969 | 198 |
| 1971 | 203 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1973 | 207 |
| 1974 | 209 |
| 1975 | 172 |
| 1976 | 164 |
| 1977 | 203 |
| 1978 | 177 |
| 1979 | 159 |
| 1980 | 193 |
| 1981 | 195 |
| 1982 | 180 |
| 1983 | 198 |
| 1984 | 183 |
| 1985 | 174 |
| 1986 | 174 |
| 1987 | 180 |
| 1988 | 213 |
| 1989 | 189 |
| 1990 | 180 |
| 1991 | 189 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1993 | 187 |
| 1994 | 200 |
| 1995 | 174 |
| 1996 | 194 |
| 1997 | 182 |
| 1998 | 213 |
| 1999 | 188 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 191 |
| 2011 | 223 |
| 2012 | 231 |
| 2013 | 182 |
| 2014 | 199 |
| 2015 | 245 |
| 2016 | 229 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 203 |
| 2019 | 193 |
| 2020 | 197 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 180 |
| 2023 | 189 |
| 2024 | 202 |
| 2025 | 236 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 22.6 °C |
| 1965 | 22.1 °C |
| 1966 | 22.0 °C |
| 1967 | 21.3 °C |
| 1968 | 21.8 °C |
| 1969 | 22.6 °C |
| 1970 | 22.7 °C |
| 1971 | 21.6 °C |
| 1972 | 21.6 °C |
| 1973 | 21.3 °C |
| 1974 | 20.8 °C |
| 1975 | 21.4 °C |
| 1976 | 20.5 °C |
| 1977 | 23.4 °C |
| 1978 | 22.6 °C |
| 1979 | 20.7 °C |
| 1980 | 23.4 °C |
| 1981 | 22.1 °C |
| 1982 | 21.5 °C |
| 1983 | 21.3 °C |
| 1984 | 21.3 °C |
| 1985 | 22.0 °C |
| 1986 | 22.9 °C |
| 1987 | 22.7 °C |
| 1988 | 22.1 °C |
| 1989 | 21.1 °C |
| 1990 | 22.2 °C |
| 1991 | 22.8 °C |
| 1992 | 21.0 °C |
| 1993 | 22.1 °C |
| 1994 | 21.7 °C |
| 1995 | 22.2 °C |
| 1996 | 22.0 °C |
| 1997 | 21.6 °C |
| 1998 | 23.7 °C |
| 1999 | 22.7 °C |
| 2000 | 22.7 °C |
| 2001 | 22.7 °C |
| 2002 | 22.2 °C |
| 2003 | 21.4 °C |
| 2011 | 23.4 °C |
| 2012 | 24.2 °C |
| 2013 | 21.8 °C |
| 2014 | 21.7 °C |
| 2015 | 22.6 °C |
| 2016 | 22.9 °C |
| 2017 | 22.0 °C |
| 2018 | 22.9 °C |
| 2019 | 23.0 °C |
| 2020 | 21.8 °C |
| 2021 | 22.2 °C |
| 2022 | 23.2 °C |
| 2023 | 22.9 °C |
| 2024 | 23.2 °C |
| 2026 | 24.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1963, Fairfield Bay's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Mtn View (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.