When to plant in Ola, AR
Planting dates worked out from Ola's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 7
1 year in 10 by Oct 27
Frost-free days
224
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Nimrod Dam · 10.4 km away · station 147 m, town 110 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 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 21 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 6 |
| Peas | — | Feb 11 – Mar 11 | Apr 7 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | May 22 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 4 – Apr 15 | May 3 |
| Beet | — | Feb 25 – Apr 8 | Apr 16 |
| Potato | — | Mar 4 – Mar 25 | May 13 |
| Kale | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 9 |
| Broccoli | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 18 | Apr 26 |
| Cucumber | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 29 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 24 |
| Winter squash | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 25 – Mar 18 | May 26 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 24 – Nov 21 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 11 – Mar 11 | Mar 21 |
| Basil | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 5 |
Ola'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 |
|---|---|
| 1943 | Apr 15 |
| 1944 | Apr 5 |
| 1945 | Apr 8 |
| 1946 | Mar 11 |
| 1947 | Mar 29 |
| 1948 | Mar 29 |
| 1949 | Apr 16 |
| 1950 | Apr 15 |
| 1951 | Apr 17 |
| 1952 | Mar 28 |
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | Apr 2 |
| 1955 | Mar 30 |
| 1956 | Apr 8 |
| 1957 | Apr 15 |
| 1958 | Apr 8 |
| 1959 | Apr 23 |
| 1960 | Apr 19 |
| 1961 | Apr 18 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | Mar 27 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Mar 27 |
| 1966 | Apr 21 |
| 1968 | Apr 6 |
| 1969 | Mar 28 |
| 1970 | Apr 3 |
| 1971 | Apr 7 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 9 |
| 1975 | Apr 5 |
| 1976 | Apr 10 |
| 1977 | Mar 23 |
| 1979 | Apr 6 |
| 1980 | Apr 15 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Mar 31 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 9 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Mar 19 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Mar 12 |
| 1996 | Apr 8 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Mar 26 |
| 2002 | Apr 4 |
| 2003 | Apr 9 |
| 2004 | Mar 10 |
| 2005 | Mar 25 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Mar 25 |
| 2009 | Mar 5 |
| 2010 | Mar 6 |
| 2011 | Mar 12 |
| 2012 | Feb 25 |
| 2013 | Mar 28 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2015 | Mar 8 |
| 2016 | Mar 22 |
| 2017 | Mar 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 5 |
| 2022 | Apr 11 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 183 |
| 1944 | 229 |
| 1945 | 209 |
| 1946 | 214 |
| 1947 | 223 |
| 1948 | 202 |
| 1951 | 198 |
| 1952 | 192 |
| 1953 | 199 |
| 1954 | 210 |
| 1955 | 217 |
| 1956 | 214 |
| 1957 | 193 |
| 1958 | 212 |
| 1959 | 187 |
| 1960 | 183 |
| 1961 | 190 |
| 1962 | 201 |
| 1963 | 219 |
| 1964 | 183 |
| 1965 | 241 |
| 1966 | 181 |
| 1968 | 205 |
| 1969 | 200 |
| 1970 | 189 |
| 1971 | 210 |
| 1972 | 199 |
| 1973 | 208 |
| 1974 | 217 |
| 1975 | 219 |
| 1976 | 181 |
| 1977 | 232 |
| 1979 | 186 |
| 1980 | 192 |
| 1981 | 200 |
| 1987 | 180 |
| 1988 | 230 |
| 1989 | 190 |
| 1990 | 210 |
| 1991 | 215 |
| 1992 | 216 |
| 1993 | 222 |
| 1994 | 229 |
| 1996 | 208 |
| 1997 | 195 |
| 1998 | 244 |
| 1999 | 210 |
| 2000 | 183 |
| 2001 | 215 |
| 2002 | 225 |
| 2003 | 199 |
| 2007 | 212 |
| 2008 | 216 |
| 2009 | 265 |
| 2010 | 237 |
| 2011 | 250 |
| 2012 | 260 |
| 2013 | 229 |
| 2014 | 230 |
| 2015 | 259 |
| 2016 | 241 |
| 2017 | 233 |
| 2018 | 214 |
| 2022 | 190 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 24.7 °C |
| 1944 | 23.6 °C |
| 1945 | 22.2 °C |
| 1946 | 23.0 °C |
| 1947 | 23.7 °C |
| 1948 | 23.4 °C |
| 1949 | 23.2 °C |
| 1951 | 22.5 °C |
| 1952 | 23.7 °C |
| 1953 | 24.0 °C |
| 1954 | 24.9 °C |
| 1955 | 23.8 °C |
| 1956 | 23.8 °C |
| 1957 | 22.8 °C |
| 1958 | 22.7 °C |
| 1959 | 23.2 °C |
| 1960 | 23.3 °C |
| 1961 | 21.8 °C |
| 1962 | 23.2 °C |
| 1963 | 23.7 °C |
| 1964 | 23.6 °C |
| 1965 | 23.5 °C |
| 1966 | 22.6 °C |
| 1967 | 21.4 °C |
| 1968 | 21.7 °C |
| 1969 | 22.5 °C |
| 1970 | 22.8 °C |
| 1971 | 21.7 °C |
| 1972 | 22.6 °C |
| 1973 | 21.2 °C |
| 1974 | 21.0 °C |
| 1975 | 21.4 °C |
| 1976 | 20.8 °C |
| 1977 | 23.5 °C |
| 1979 | 20.9 °C |
| 1981 | 21.3 °C |
| 1987 | 22.4 °C |
| 1988 | 21.3 °C |
| 1989 | 21.9 °C |
| 1990 | 23.0 °C |
| 1991 | 23.2 °C |
| 1992 | 21.5 °C |
| 1993 | 22.7 °C |
| 1994 | 21.9 °C |
| 1996 | 22.5 °C |
| 1997 | 22.5 °C |
| 1998 | 24.8 °C |
| 1999 | 23.2 °C |
| 2000 | 23.8 °C |
| 2001 | 23.9 °C |
| 2002 | 23.5 °C |
| 2003 | 22.7 °C |
| 2004 | 22.6 °C |
| 2005 | 23.7 °C |
| 2006 | 24.0 °C |
| 2007 | 23.6 °C |
| 2008 | 22.9 °C |
| 2009 | 22.4 °C |
| 2010 | 25.1 °C |
| 2011 | 24.7 °C |
| 2012 | 25.5 °C |
| 2013 | 23.2 °C |
| 2014 | 23.1 °C |
| 2015 | 24.4 °C |
| 2016 | 24.7 °C |
| 2017 | 24.1 °C |
| 2018 | 24.6 °C |
| 2021 | 22.8 °C |
| 2022 | 23.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1943, Ola's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Nimrod Dam (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.