Plan your dream Arkansas garden with our easy growing-zone guide. Discover zones 7a–8b, frost dates, and plant ideas for Ozark hills, Delta fields, and southern backyards. Learn what to grow, when to start seeds, and how to beat heat, humidity, and surprise frosts. Perfect for beginners and green thumbs.
Gardening in Arkansas might mean tomatoes and okra in a Little Rock backyard, blackberries tumbling down an Ozark hillside, watermelons in the Delta, or native wildflowers drifting across Ouachita ridges. Arkansas planting zones stretch from the cooler hills of the northwest Ozarks to the long, warm seasons of the southern and Delta counties, so what thrives in Fayetteville won’t be quite the same as what loves Pine Bluff or Texarkana.
Using the updated 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (based on 1991–2020 winter lows), Arkansas now falls almost entirely in zones 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b, with the state overall recognized as being in warmer zones 7 and 8. In other words, the entire state is now classified within USDA hardiness zones 7 and 8, with no remaining zone 6 areas on the 2023 map.
The coolest pockets lie in higher Ozark and Boston Mountain elevations, while the warmest zones are found in the southern tier and parts of the Delta and southwest counties. A hardiness zone describes your average annual extreme minimum temperature so you can quickly see which trees, shrubs, and perennials can reliably ride out winter in your garden.
This guide will help you understand your Arkansas growing zone, read the 2023 USDA map, time your planting around frost dates, and choose the best plants for your part of the Natural State.
Arkansas runs from cool Ozark plateaus and forested Boston Mountains in the north and west, across the Arkansas River Valley and central hill country, then into the flat, fertile Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Delta) and long-season piney woods across the south. Elevation changes, big rivers, and warm Gulf air masses create several distinct gardening climates.
According to the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and state extension summaries, Arkansas’s plant hardiness zones now range mainly from 7a to 8b. Many areas shifted about a half-zone warmer compared to older maps, and the state is broadly described as lying within zones 7 and 8.
The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is built from 30-year averages (1991–2020) of the coldest winter temperatures. It’s the national standard gardeners use to choose trees, shrubs, and perennials that can reliably survive winter in their area.
A simplified Arkansas planting zone map based on the 2023 USDA Hardiness Zone Map, using 1991–2020 climate data.
Use the map together with your ZIP code to pinpoint your exact Arkansas garden zone. Look up your Arkansas planting zone by ZIP code using the USDA tool, then come back here or explore our Plant Finder to discover plants matched to your zone, sun exposure, and soil.
Although Arkansas’s planting zones run mainly from 7a to 8b, local conditions—river bottoms, lakeshores, ridge tops, city heat islands, and wooded hollows—create countless microclimates. Thinking regionally makes it easier to match plants and planting dates to your own yard.
This region includes Fayetteville, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Eureka Springs, Harrison, and nearby hill towns. Elevation and rugged terrain bring cooler nights and more frequent late frosts than in central and southern Arkansas.
Fort Smith, Russellville, Conway, Little Rock, North Little Rock, and surrounding communities lie along the Arkansas River and central uplands. Winters are relatively mild, summers are hot and humid, and the growing season is long.
The flat, fertile Mississippi Alluvial Plain includes Jonesboro, Wynne, West Memphis, Helena-West Helena, Stuttgart, and many small farming communities. Long, warm seasons and rich alluvial soils define this region.
From Pine Bluff and Camden to El Dorado, Hope, Magnolia, and Texarkana, southern Arkansas enjoys some of the mildest winters and longest frost-free seasons in the state.
From foggy Ozark mornings to sun-baked Delta afternoons, frost dates are your best planning tool. Whether you’re gardening in Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Conway, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, or Texarkana, your average last and first frosts help you decide when to sow cool-season crops, set out tender seedlings, and be ready with row covers in fall.
Across Arkansas, last spring frosts generally run from early April in warm southern and Delta areas to late April in cooler northwest elevations. First fall frosts typically arrive from early October in the Ozark highlands to late October–early November in much of central, Delta, and southern Arkansas.
| Region / City | Average Last Spring Frost | Average First Fall Frost | Approx. Frost-Free Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Ozarks (Fayetteville / Bentonville) | Mid–Late April (around Apr 18–25) | Early–Mid October (around Oct 7–15) | ~165–180 days |
| Arkansas River Valley (Fort Smith / Ozark) | Mid April (around Apr 12–16) | Mid–Late October (around Oct 18–21) | ~185–195 days |
| Central Arkansas (Little Rock / Conway) | Late March–Early April (around Mar 28–Apr 8) | Late October (around Oct 25–29) | ~195–205 days |
| Delta & Northeast (Jonesboro / Wynne / Corning) | Early–Mid April (around Apr 10–15) | Mid–Late October (around Oct 13–24) | ~185–200 days |
| Southern & Southwest (Pine Bluff / Texarkana) | Late March–Early April (around Mar 30–Apr 6) | Late October–Early November (around Oct 25–31) | ~200–210 days |
Zone and frost-date ranges here are summarized from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and Arkansas-focused frost-date tools; always check a local forecast and ZIP code–based lookup for the most precise information for your garden.
Use these frost windows as planning guides—your yard may act warmer or cooler depending on slope, altitude, wind, nearby pavement, and buildings. They’re long-term averages, not guarantees, so watch the forecast closely during spring warm-ups and autumn cold snaps.
Once you know your Arkansas planting zone, you can lean into your region’s strengths—long southern summers, central Arkansas’s four seasons, or cooler Ozark nights. Focus on cold-hardy perennials for your zone (7–8) plus heat- and humidity-tolerant annuals and vegetables, and pair them with soil-building practices that match your local conditions.
Many Arkansas native plants are perfectly tuned to local soils, rainfall, and winter lows. Combine native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees for a low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly landscape that supports pollinators, songbirds, and other beneficial wildlife while tolerating Arkansas’s hot summers and occasional droughts.
Explore curated lists like great pollinator plants for Arkansas, monarch-friendly nectar plant collections, and guides to native grasses, shrubs, ferns, and vines to build a garden that buzzes and flutters from spring through fall.
Tap a month to see what to plant in Arkansas by zone. Use these quick guides as a starting point—then adjust for your exact frost dates and whether you garden on a cool Ozark ridge, a warm Little Rock courtyard, or a Delta back porch.
Arkansas gardeners juggle humidity, summer thunderstorms, clay and rocky soils, deer and armadillo pressure, and the occasional tornado, ice storm, or high wind. These tips will help your garden thrive from zone 7a to 8b:
Now that you understand your Arkansas planting zone, frost dates, and regional climate, you’re ready to choose plants that love your conditions and build a thriving Natural State garden. Mix edible crops, flowering perennials, and native plants for a landscape that feeds both your household and local wildlife. Curious how Arkansas compares to other states? Visit our national USDA planting zone guide to explore growing zones across the United States.
Key zone and climate information in this article is based on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and Arkansas climate resources from extension services and frost-date tools.
The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map places Arkansas primarily in zones 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b. In practical terms, that means nearly all of the state is considered zone 7 or 8, with cooler 7a–7b areas in the Ozarks and warmer 8a–8b pockets across the Delta and southern counties. These zones are based on 30-year averages of the coldest winter temperatures and help you choose perennials, trees, and shrubs that can reliably survive Arkansas winters.
To pinpoint your Arkansas growing zone, use the interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map tool. Enter your ZIP code, and the map will return your zone (for example, 7b or 8a) along with the average annual extreme minimum temperature. This is more precise than relying on a state overview map and is especially useful in areas with big elevation changes, such as the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley.
Average last spring frosts in Arkansas generally occur between early and late April. Warmer southern and Delta areas like Pine Bluff and Texarkana often see their last frost in late March to early April, central locations such as Little Rock and Conway around early–mid April, and cooler northwest cities like Fayetteville closer to mid–late April. These are long-term averages, so always check a local forecast before planting frost-tender crops.
First fall frosts in Arkansas typically arrive between early October and early November, depending on location and elevation. Higher Ozark sites near Fayetteville and the northern highlands often frost in early–mid October, while central, Delta, and southern areas—Little Rock, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, Texarkana—usually hold off until late October or even early November. Gardeners can use these dates to back-plan fall crops and decide when to protect tender plants.
Most of Arkansas enjoys roughly 165 to a little over 200 frost-free days each year. Cooler northwest locations may get around 165–185 days between the last spring and first fall frosts, while central, Delta, and southern regions commonly see 190–210 frost-free days. This long growing window supports both early cool-season crops and long-season warm-weather vegetables like okra, sweet potatoes, and watermelons.
Arkansas’s zones 7 and 8 are excellent for a wide range of crops. Cool-season vegetables like lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets, peas, and radishes do well in spring and fall. Once danger of frost has passed, warm-season staples such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans, sweet corn, okra, Southern peas, and sweet potatoes thrive in Arkansas heat, especially with regular watering and mulching.
Yes. Apples, pears, plums, and many tart cherries can be grown throughout most of Arkansas with attention to chilling requirements and disease resistance. Peaches perform best in well-drained sites in central, River Valley, and southern regions, where late spring frosts are less frequent. Figs, muscadine grapes, persimmons, and pecans are especially well suited to the warmer zones 8a–8b. In all cases, proper pruning, site selection, and good airflow are key to fruit quality and disease control.
Arkansas is generally too cold for standard citrus trees to survive unprotected outdoors, but some gardeners in the warmest microclimates (zones 8a–8b) experiment with cold-hardy citrus like Satsuma mandarins and Meyer lemons. These are usually planted in very sheltered spots—against south-facing walls, under overhangs, or in containers that can be moved indoors or wrapped and protected on the coldest nights. For consistent harvests, many gardeners still treat citrus as container plants that overwinter in a sunny, protected indoor space.
Arkansas’s warm, humid summers accelerate plant growth but also favor fungal diseases like powdery mildew, downy mildew, and various blights—especially on tomatoes, cucurbits, and roses. To compensate, prioritize disease-resistant varieties, provide good spacing and airflow, water at the soil level instead of overhead when possible, and use mulch to reduce soil splash. Regular scouting and prompt removal of infected foliage help keep problems in check.
Updated: December 2025
| Hardiness |
7 - 8 |
|---|---|
| Native Plants | United States, Southeast, Arkansas |
| Hardiness |
7 - 8 |
|---|---|
| Native Plants | United States, Southeast, Arkansas |
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Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
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