Little Rock, AR · zone 8a · ~236 frost-free days
When to plant in Little Rock: frost dates and zone 8a.
In Little Rock, the typical last spring frost lands around Mar 20 and the first fall frost around Nov 11, giving you about 236 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Little Rock, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Feb 13 to Apr 15 | Mar 27 to May 27 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 10 to Mar 27 | Aug 28 to Oct 27 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 10 to Mar 15 | Aug 16 to Sep 11 |
| Bush Bean | — | Mar 20 to May 10 | Jul 28 to Aug 30 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 27 to Jun 26 | Jul 11 to Aug 11 |
| Pepper, bell | Feb 22 to Apr 15 | Apr 5 to May 27 | — |
| Kale | Dec 30 to Jan 27 | Feb 10 to Mar 10 | Aug 11 to Sep 26 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 27 to Mar 10 | Aug 28 to Oct 16 |
Little Rock sits in Zone 8a, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Little Rock garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 72201 in about 60 seconds.
Little Rock planting questions
What planting zone is Little Rock, AR?+
Little Rock is in USDA hardiness zone 8a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 8a here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Little Rock?+
The typical last spring frost in Little Rock, AR is around Mar 20. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Little Rock?+
The typical first fall frost in Little Rock, AR arrives around Nov 11, closing a growing season of roughly 236 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Little Rock?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Mar 20. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.