When to plant in West Memphis, AR
Planting dates worked out from West Memphis's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 7
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 9
1 year in 10 by Oct 29
Frost-free days
230
median, 1991–2020
Station used: W Memphis · 2.5 km away · station 72 m, town 64 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 10 – Feb 24 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Jun 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Jun 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 16 – Jan 23 | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 1 |
| Peas | — | Feb 11 – Mar 11 | Apr 7 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 31 – Apr 21 | May 20 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 27 – Apr 10 | Apr 28 |
| Beet | — | Feb 27 – Apr 10 | Apr 18 |
| Potato | — | Feb 27 – Mar 20 | May 8 |
| Kale | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 4 |
| Broccoli | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Feb 20 – Mar 13 | Apr 21 |
| Cucumber | Mar 10 – Mar 17 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 27 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 10 – Mar 17 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 22 |
| Winter squash | Mar 10 – Mar 17 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Jun 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 31 – Apr 21 | May 30 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 20 – Mar 13 | May 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 26 – Nov 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 11 – Mar 11 | Mar 21 |
| Basil | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Jun 3 |
West Memphis'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 |
|---|---|
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | Feb 27 |
| 1964 | Mar 30 |
| 1965 | Mar 27 |
| 1966 | Apr 6 |
| 1968 | Mar 24 |
| 1969 | Mar 30 |
| 1971 | Apr 7 |
| 1972 | Apr 8 |
| 1974 | Apr 5 |
| 1975 | Apr 4 |
| 1976 | Mar 17 |
| 1977 | Feb 28 |
| 1978 | Mar 18 |
| 1980 | Mar 10 |
| 1981 | Mar 25 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Mar 29 |
| 1984 | Apr 6 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Mar 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 6 |
| 1994 | Mar 30 |
| 1996 | Apr 6 |
| 1997 | Mar 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 13 |
| 1999 | Mar 14 |
| 2000 | Mar 12 |
| 2001 | Mar 27 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Mar 11 |
| 2005 | Mar 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Mar 24 |
| 2009 | Mar 5 |
| 2010 | Mar 6 |
| 2011 | Mar 12 |
| 2012 | Mar 4 |
| 2013 | Mar 27 |
| 2014 | Mar 26 |
| 2015 | Mar 8 |
| 2016 | Mar 21 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 8 |
| 2019 | Mar 7 |
| 2020 | Feb 28 |
| 2021 | Mar 7 |
| 2022 | Mar 13 |
| 2023 | Mar 20 |
| 2024 | Mar 20 |
| 2025 | Feb 24 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 201 |
| 1963 | 247 |
| 1964 | 234 |
| 1965 | 246 |
| 1966 | 209 |
| 1968 | 230 |
| 1969 | 219 |
| 1971 | 213 |
| 1972 | 228 |
| 1974 | 223 |
| 1975 | 223 |
| 1976 | 224 |
| 1977 | 270 |
| 1978 | 260 |
| 1980 | 208 |
| 1981 | 207 |
| 1982 | 184 |
| 1983 | 196 |
| 1984 | 219 |
| 1985 | 209 |
| 1986 | 235 |
| 1987 | 190 |
| 1991 | 216 |
| 1992 | 214 |
| 1994 | 237 |
| 1996 | 209 |
| 1997 | 234 |
| 1998 | 237 |
| 2001 | 238 |
| 2002 | 238 |
| 2003 | 227 |
| 2004 | 264 |
| 2005 | 247 |
| 2006 | 221 |
| 2007 | 211 |
| 2008 | 217 |
| 2010 | 244 |
| 2011 | 222 |
| 2012 | 248 |
| 2013 | 225 |
| 2014 | 220 |
| 2015 | 258 |
| 2016 | 243 |
| 2017 | 224 |
| 2018 | 215 |
| 2019 | 238 |
| 2021 | 242 |
| 2024 | 253 |
| 2025 | 258 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 24.0 °C |
| 1964 | 23.8 °C |
| 1966 | 23.2 °C |
| 1967 | 22.8 °C |
| 1968 | 23.6 °C |
| 1969 | 23.9 °C |
| 1971 | 23.1 °C |
| 1972 | 23.8 °C |
| 1974 | 22.5 °C |
| 1975 | 23.0 °C |
| 1976 | 22.5 °C |
| 1977 | 25.4 °C |
| 1978 | 23.9 °C |
| 1980 | 24.5 °C |
| 1981 | 23.2 °C |
| 1982 | 22.4 °C |
| 1983 | 23.4 °C |
| 1984 | 22.7 °C |
| 1985 | 23.7 °C |
| 1986 | 24.8 °C |
| 1987 | 24.6 °C |
| 1991 | 24.0 °C |
| 1992 | 21.9 °C |
| 1993 | 23.1 °C |
| 1994 | 23.1 °C |
| 1996 | 22.7 °C |
| 1997 | 22.3 °C |
| 1998 | 24.4 °C |
| 1999 | 23.4 °C |
| 2001 | 23.9 °C |
| 2002 | 23.9 °C |
| 2003 | 23.1 °C |
| 2004 | 22.9 °C |
| 2005 | 23.9 °C |
| 2006 | 23.9 °C |
| 2007 | 24.1 °C |
| 2008 | 23.0 °C |
| 2010 | 25.4 °C |
| 2011 | 24.2 °C |
| 2012 | 24.3 °C |
| 2013 | 23.1 °C |
| 2014 | 23.1 °C |
| 2015 | 24.0 °C |
| 2016 | 24.4 °C |
| 2017 | 23.7 °C |
| 2018 | 24.0 °C |
| 2019 | 24.3 °C |
| 2020 | 23.5 °C |
| 2021 | 23.2 °C |
| 2023 | 24.3 °C |
| 2025 | 25.1 °C |
| 2026 | 26.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1962, West Memphis's last spring frost has come about 3 days 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 W Memphis (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.