Frost Report

All states Arkansas

Frost dates for Star City, AR

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

March 15

typical year

Safe to plant

April 3

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 17

typical year

Growing season

246 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Feb 15 – Mar 1 –
Spinach – Feb 1 – 22 Sep 22 – Oct 6
Lettuce – Feb 15 – Mar 8 Sep 22 – Oct 6
Radishes – Feb 15 – Mar 29 Oct 6 – 20
Onions – Feb 15 – Mar 1 –
Potatoes – Feb 22 – Mar 8 –
Carrots – Feb 22 – Mar 15 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Beets – Feb 15 – Mar 1 Sep 8 – 22
Kale Jan 4 – 18 Feb 15 – Mar 1 Sep 8 – 22
Broccoli Jan 4 – 18 Mar 1 – 15 Sep 8 – 22
Cabbage Dec 21 – Jan 4 Feb 15 – Mar 1 Sep 8 – 22
Garlic – – Oct 6 – 27
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 6 – 20 Apr 3 – 17 –
Peppers Jan 30 – Feb 13 Apr 10 – 24 –
Cucumbers – Apr 3 – 24 –
Zucchini – Apr 3 – May 1 –
Pumpkins – Apr 3 – 24 –
Green beans – Apr 3 – Sep 8 –
Sweet corn – Apr 3 – May 1 –
Basil Feb 27 – Mar 13 Apr 10 – 17 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after April 3March 15February 25
Fall frost before November 1November 17December 4

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around March 2 (March 23 in a late year), and the first one in fall around December 1.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 2 towns.

Star City, Grady

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CANE CREEK SP, AR US (USC00031191), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 3 zip codes, all within 13 miles:

71644, 71667, 71678

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.