When to plant in Walnut Ridge, AR
Planting dates worked out from Walnut Ridge's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 6
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 7
1 year in 10 by Oct 28
Frost-free days
216
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Alicia 2 Nne · 17.7 km away · station 79 m, town 82 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 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 31 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 5 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 20 – Jan 27 | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 5 |
| Peas | — | Feb 18 – Mar 18 | Apr 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | May 19 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 3 – Apr 14 | May 2 |
| Beet | — | Mar 3 – Apr 14 | Apr 22 |
| Potato | — | Mar 3 – Mar 24 | May 12 |
| Kale | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 9 |
| Broccoli | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | Apr 25 |
| Cucumber | Mar 9 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 9 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 21 |
| Winter squash | Mar 9 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 25 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | May 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | May 25 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 24 – Nov 21 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 18 – Mar 18 | Mar 28 |
| Basil | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 2 |
Walnut Ridge'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 |
|---|---|
| 1907 | Apr 14 |
| 1908 | Mar 20 |
| 1909 | May 3 |
| 1910 | Mar 16 |
| 1911 | Mar 16 |
| 1912 | Mar 25 |
| 1913 | Mar 28 |
| 1914 | Mar 23 |
| 1915 | Apr 1 |
| 1916 | Mar 29 |
| 1917 | Mar 7 |
| 1918 | Mar 17 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Mar 27 |
| 1966 | Apr 10 |
| 1967 | Mar 18 |
| 1968 | Apr 6 |
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1970 | Mar 23 |
| 1971 | Apr 14 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1976 | Mar 17 |
| 1977 | Mar 7 |
| 1978 | Mar 18 |
| 1979 | Mar 26 |
| 1980 | Mar 18 |
| 1981 | Mar 19 |
| 1982 | Apr 6 |
| 1983 | Apr 19 |
| 1984 | Apr 1 |
| 1985 | Mar 8 |
| 1986 | Mar 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Mar 28 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Mar 18 |
| 1994 | Mar 31 |
| 1995 | Apr 1 |
| 1996 | Apr 6 |
| 1997 | Mar 16 |
| 1998 | Mar 13 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Mar 12 |
| 2001 | Mar 26 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Mar 22 |
| 2005 | Mar 20 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 5 |
| 2011 | Mar 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Apr 16 |
| 2019 | Apr 1 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 20 |
| 2025 | Mar 6 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1907 | 181 |
| 1909 | 161 |
| 1911 | 223 |
| 1912 | 235 |
| 1913 | 206 |
| 1914 | 217 |
| 1915 | 190 |
| 1916 | 205 |
| 1917 | 215 |
| 1918 | 228 |
| 1964 | 183 |
| 1965 | 210 |
| 1966 | 192 |
| 1967 | 223 |
| 1968 | 180 |
| 1969 | 210 |
| 1971 | 203 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1976 | 213 |
| 1977 | 219 |
| 1978 | 234 |
| 1979 | 222 |
| 1980 | 220 |
| 1981 | 218 |
| 1982 | 197 |
| 1983 | 199 |
| 1984 | 222 |
| 1985 | 241 |
| 1986 | 233 |
| 1987 | 199 |
| 1988 | 233 |
| 1989 | 191 |
| 1990 | 196 |
| 1991 | 216 |
| 1992 | 216 |
| 1993 | 225 |
| 1995 | 216 |
| 1999 | 243 |
| 2000 | 209 |
| 2001 | 215 |
| 2003 | 237 |
| 2007 | 211 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 207 |
| 2019 | 213 |
| 2020 | 265 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 218 |
| 2023 | 226 |
| 2024 | 253 |
| 2025 | 248 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1907 | 21.5 °C |
| 1909 | 22.2 °C |
| 1910 | 21.6 °C |
| 1911 | 23.1 °C |
| 1912 | 22.9 °C |
| 1913 | 22.7 °C |
| 1914 | 23.6 °C |
| 1915 | 22.6 °C |
| 1916 | 23.0 °C |
| 1917 | 21.2 °C |
| 1918 | 22.6 °C |
| 1964 | 23.4 °C |
| 1965 | 23.2 °C |
| 1966 | 22.3 °C |
| 1967 | 21.8 °C |
| 1968 | 22.7 °C |
| 1969 | 23.1 °C |
| 1970 | 23.0 °C |
| 1971 | 22.4 °C |
| 1972 | 23.2 °C |
| 1976 | 21.9 °C |
| 1977 | 24.7 °C |
| 1978 | 23.8 °C |
| 1979 | 22.6 °C |
| 1980 | 25.1 °C |
| 1981 | 24.1 °C |
| 1982 | 23.2 °C |
| 1983 | 23.6 °C |
| 1984 | 22.8 °C |
| 1985 | 23.1 °C |
| 1986 | 24.8 °C |
| 1987 | 24.3 °C |
| 1988 | 23.6 °C |
| 1989 | 22.6 °C |
| 1990 | 23.4 °C |
| 1991 | 24.0 °C |
| 1992 | 22.2 °C |
| 1993 | 23.3 °C |
| 1995 | 23.0 °C |
| 1996 | 23.0 °C |
| 1998 | 24.3 °C |
| 1999 | 24.2 °C |
| 2000 | 24.0 °C |
| 2001 | 24.0 °C |
| 2003 | 22.6 °C |
| 2004 | 21.9 °C |
| 2005 | 22.8 °C |
| 2007 | 22.8 °C |
| 2016 | 23.2 °C |
| 2017 | 22.5 °C |
| 2018 | 22.8 °C |
| 2019 | 22.8 °C |
| 2020 | 21.9 °C |
| 2021 | 22.0 °C |
| 2022 | 22.5 °C |
| 2023 | 22.6 °C |
| 2024 | 22.9 °C |
| 2025 | 23.2 °C |
| 2026 | 24.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1907, Walnut Ridge's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. 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 Alicia 2 Nne (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.