Frost Report

All states Arkansas

Frost dates for West Memphis, 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 19

typical year

Safe to plant

April 7

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 10

typical year

Growing season

235 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 19 – Mar 5 –
Spinach – Feb 5 – 26 Sep 15 – 29
Lettuce – Feb 19 – Mar 12 Sep 15 – 29
Radishes – Feb 19 – Apr 2 Sep 29 – Oct 13
Onions – Feb 19 – Mar 5 –
Potatoes – Feb 26 – Mar 12 –
Carrots – Feb 26 – Mar 19 Aug 18 – Sep 1
Beets – Feb 19 – Mar 5 Sep 1 – 15
Kale Jan 8 – 22 Feb 19 – Mar 5 Sep 1 – 15
Broccoli Jan 8 – 22 Mar 5 – 19 Sep 1 – 15
Cabbage Dec 25 – Jan 8 Feb 19 – Mar 5 Sep 1 – 15
Garlic – – Sep 29 – Oct 20
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 10 – 24 Apr 7 – 21 –
Peppers Feb 3 – 17 Apr 14 – 28 –
Cucumbers – Apr 7 – 28 –
Zucchini – Apr 7 – May 5 –
Pumpkins – Apr 7 – 28 –
Green beans – Apr 7 – Sep 1 –
Sweet corn – Apr 7 – May 5 –
Basil Mar 3 – 17 Apr 14 – 21 –

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 7March 19March 1
Fall frost before October 28November 10November 30

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 7 (March 31 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 22.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

West Memphis

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station W MEMPHIS, AR US (USC00037712), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 5 zip codes, all within 12 miles:

38103, 38109, 38113, 38127, 72301

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