When to plant in Rockwell, AR
Planting dates worked out from Rockwell's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 24
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 10
1 year in 10 by Oct 28
Frost-free days
228
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hot Springs Asos · 3.0 km away · station 154 m, town 134 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 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 20 – Jan 27 | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 5 |
| Peas | — | Feb 10 – Mar 10 | Apr 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 3 – Apr 14 | May 2 |
| Beet | — | Feb 24 – Apr 7 | Apr 15 |
| Potato | — | Mar 3 – Mar 24 | May 12 |
| Kale | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 8 |
| Broccoli | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | Apr 25 |
| Cucumber | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 23 |
| Winter squash | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | May 25 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 27 – Nov 24 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 10 – Mar 10 | Mar 20 |
| Basil | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 4 |
Rockwell'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 |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Mar 19 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 8 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Mar 14 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Mar 10 |
| 1996 | Apr 7 |
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 1999 | Mar 15 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Mar 17 |
| 2002 | Mar 27 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Mar 12 |
| 2005 | Mar 17 |
| 2006 | Mar 25 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Mar 24 |
| 2009 | Mar 3 |
| 2010 | Mar 5 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Mar 4 |
| 2013 | Mar 27 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2015 | Mar 7 |
| 2016 | Mar 21 |
| 2017 | Mar 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 8 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Mar 7 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
| 2022 | Apr 9 |
| 2023 | Mar 20 |
| 2024 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 219 |
| 1988 | 242 |
| 1989 | 191 |
| 1990 | 234 |
| 1991 | 216 |
| 1992 | 216 |
| 1993 | 227 |
| 1994 | 202 |
| 1995 | 238 |
| 1996 | 209 |
| 1997 | 215 |
| 1998 | 261 |
| 1999 | 255 |
| 2000 | 183 |
| 2001 | 224 |
| 2002 | 234 |
| 2003 | 237 |
| 2004 | 257 |
| 2005 | 243 |
| 2006 | 222 |
| 2007 | 212 |
| 2008 | 217 |
| 2009 | 268 |
| 2010 | 238 |
| 2011 | 219 |
| 2012 | 253 |
| 2013 | 230 |
| 2014 | 210 |
| 2015 | 258 |
| 2016 | 236 |
| 2017 | 233 |
| 2018 | 215 |
| 2019 | 212 |
| 2020 | 267 |
| 2021 | 196 |
| 2022 | 192 |
| 2023 | 224 |
| 2024 | 254 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 24.9 °C |
| 1988 | 24.2 °C |
| 1989 | 23.3 °C |
| 1990 | 24.3 °C |
| 1991 | 24.6 °C |
| 1992 | 23.0 °C |
| 1993 | 24.6 °C |
| 1994 | 23.8 °C |
| 1995 | 24.2 °C |
| 1996 | 24.0 °C |
| 1997 | 23.7 °C |
| 1998 | 26.1 °C |
| 1999 | 25.1 °C |
| 2000 | 25.1 °C |
| 2001 | 24.2 °C |
| 2002 | 24.2 °C |
| 2003 | 23.5 °C |
| 2004 | 23.4 °C |
| 2005 | 24.5 °C |
| 2006 | 24.7 °C |
| 2007 | 24.0 °C |
| 2008 | 23.9 °C |
| 2009 | 23.4 °C |
| 2010 | 25.5 °C |
| 2011 | 25.0 °C |
| 2012 | 25.5 °C |
| 2013 | 23.7 °C |
| 2014 | 23.1 °C |
| 2015 | 24.7 °C |
| 2016 | 24.4 °C |
| 2017 | 24.1 °C |
| 2018 | 24.9 °C |
| 2019 | 24.9 °C |
| 2020 | 23.4 °C |
| 2021 | 23.9 °C |
| 2022 | 24.9 °C |
| 2023 | 24.5 °C |
| 2024 | 25.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1987, Rockwell's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Hot Springs Asos (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.