Arkansas · zones 6b–8a
When to plant potatoes in Arkansas.
Sow between Feb 15 to Mar 20 in a typical year, keyed to Arkansas's median last frost around Mar 25. A second, fall sowing fits Jul 18 to Jul 31. Dates below are state medians; your ZIP code shifts them by days to weeks.
The 2026 windows
Potatoes dates for a typical Arkansas season.
Direct sow
Feb 15 to Mar 20
Keyed to the ~Mar 25 last frost. Sow 4" deep, 12" apart.
Fall round
Jul 18 to Jul 31
Counted back from the ~Nov 5 first frost.
Harvest
~90 days later
~3 lb per plant over ~1 weeks.
Arkansas spans more than one climate: Zone 8 is the most common zone, but the state runs 6b to 8a. That's why the planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not your zone: mountain and coastal gardens in the same state can be three weeks apart.
Arkansas growing notes
Arkansas potatoes: pick your soil, then work with it.
Ozark stone versus Delta silt: two different starting points
Arkansas potato growers work two very different beds depending on where they garden. Ozark highland ground in the north is thin, rocky, and naturally acidic, often pH 5.5 to 6, which happens to suit potatoes well: potato scab, the corky brown patches that ruin skin quality, struggles to establish below pH 5.5 and thrives above 6.5. Delta ground in the east and south is deep, fertile alluvial silt with a more neutral pH, which grows a bigger plant overall but needs a deliberate band of sulfur worked in ahead of planting to hold scab risk down.
Whichever ground you are on, seed pieces go in 4 inches deep and 12 inches apart down the row, then get hilled as the plants grow, building toward a final ridge 6 to 8 inches tall. Any tuber that pushes up into daylight through a thin hill turns green and bitter within about a week, and a green potato is not just a cosmetic problem; the green itself is mildly toxic and should be cut away or the potato discarded.
Colorado potato beetle builds generations fast in Arkansas heat
Colorado potato beetle can run through 2 full generations in an Arkansas growing season where a cooler state might only see one, so scouting cannot stop after the first hatch. Look under leaves for clusters of small orange-yellow eggs on a regular walk through the rows, and knock any you find into a jar of soapy water rather than just crushing them, since a crushed cluster left on the leaf still draws ants and other scavengers. Once striped larvae are actively chewing, a count topping 2 per plant across 10 plants checked is enough reason to bring out a targeted spray, because a second-generation hatch late in the season can strip a plant just as it is bulking tubers underground.
Late blight follows humid weather, especially in Delta gardens that hold moisture longer after a rain than the rockier Ozark ground does; dark, water-soaked blotches on leaves that spread within 2 days of a humid, mild night are the signal to remove infected foliage immediately rather than waiting to see if it clears up on its own, since there is no cure once the disease has a foothold.
Two harvest windows, two different curing jobs
Arkansas fits both a spring and a fall potato crop into a season that averages about 225 frost-free days across the state, though that average runs shorter in the higher Ozark counties than it does down in the Delta, and each crop cures under different conditions. A spring-dug crop comes out of the ground into early summer heat, so cure it somewhere shaded and out of direct sun for about a week to let skins toughen before storage; skip that step and the skins scuff in handling, opening the door to storage rot.
A fall-dug crop cures in naturally cooler, milder weather, which is gentler on the tubers and often produces potatoes that keep longer into winter. Either way, test for a set skin before digging in earnest: rub a thumb firmly across an exposed tuber, and if the skin slips off rather than holding tight, give the row another week before the main harvest.
In Arkansas: watch for
The pests that find potatoes here.
A middle-length season, about 225 frost-free days, means potato overlaps colorado potato beetle for a stretch each summer. Check plants every week or two and treat early.
Striped beetles and orange grubs eating the leaves.
Organic fix: Handpick adults, crush the orange egg clusters, dust with diatomaceous earth.
Dark greasy blotches after cool, wet spells.
Organic fix: Pull infected plants fast, keep leaves dry, use neem as a preventive.
Common scab
Rough, corky patches on the skin, raised on some tubers and sunk into pits on others.
Organic fix: Keep the bed evenly moist through the weeks right after tubers set, rotate away from potatoes, and pick a scab-resistant variety next time.
Your season math: Arkansas gives potatoes about 225 frost-free days, and it needs roughly 90 days to a first harvest. It's a one-planting crop, so time that single sowing well.
Planting potatoes in Arkansas: questions
When should I plant potatoes in Arkansas?+
In a typical Arkansas year, sow potatoes between Feb 15 to Mar 20, keyed to the state's median last frost around Mar 25. There's also a fall window: Jul 18 to Jul 31. Your exact dates shift with your ZIP code and microclimate.
What USDA zone is Arkansas?+
Arkansas spans zones 6b–8a, mostly zone 8. But frost dates, not zones, set planting time. The free planner uses your ZIP code's actual frost dates.
How many potatoes plants do I need?+
Depends who you're feeding. The crop page has exact counts per household size, or the free planner does the math for your family in about 60 seconds.