USDA zone 7b in Arkansas
USDA plant hardiness zone 7b covers 36 locations across Arkansas (average annual extreme minimum 5 to 10 °F): Batesville, AR, Bee Branch, AR, Blue Mountain, AR, Cedarville, AR, Center Ridge, AR, Cherokee, AR, and 30 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 18 (Strawberry) to April 15 (West Fork), and growing seasons run 188–240 days (West Fork to Strawberry) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Arkansas location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Midway, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7b5 to 10 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 18–Apr 15avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Oct 20–Nov 11avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 188–240days
Locations in this group
Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batesville | Desha, Salado, Sulphur Rock, Pleasant Plains, Floral | Batesville L&d 1 | Mar 30 | Nov 5 | 221 |
| Bee Branch | — | Greenbrier | Apr 9 | Oct 25 | 198 |
| Blue Mountain | — | Blue Mtn Dam | Mar 31 | Nov 1 | 215 |
| Cedarville | Winslow, Mountainburg, Evansville, Uniontown, Elohim, Chester | Mountainburg 2 Ne | Apr 9 | Oct 28 | 201 |
| Center Ridge | — | Morrilton | Mar 30 | Nov 2 | 219 |
| Cherokee | Hardy, Ravenden, Williford | Hardy | Apr 4 | Oct 31 | 210 |
| Clinton | Jerusalem | Dennard 10 Wsw | Apr 4 | Nov 2 | 212 |
| Conway | — | Conway | Apr 2 | Nov 2 | 215 |
| Corning | Lafe, Rector, Neelyville, Peach Orchard, Datto, Knobel, +3 more | Corning | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | 224 |
| Cushman | Mount Pleasant, Concord, Pleasant Grove, Guion | Batesville Lvstk | Apr 8 | Oct 26 | 201 |
| Dennard | Marshall, Witts Springs, Big Flat, Leslie | Marshall | Apr 11 | Oct 26 | 197 |
| Fairfield Bay | Tumbling Shoals, Heber Springs, Greers Ferry, Concord, Drasco, Wilburn | Greers Ferry Dam | Mar 31 | Nov 6 | 222 |
| Hagarville | Wayton, Witts Springs, Mount Judea, Deer, Hector, Jasper, +3 more | Deer | Apr 7 | Nov 4 | 211 |
| Harrison | Alpena, Bergman, Jasper | Harrison Boone Co Ap | Apr 3 | Oct 30 | 210 |
| Hatfield | Hodgen | Mena | Apr 5 | Nov 1 | 208 |
| Hector | Jerusalem | Russellville Muni Ap | Mar 29 | Nov 2 | 219 |
| Jonesboro | Brookland | Jonesboro 2 Ne | Apr 1 | Nov 1 | 215 |
| Melbourne | Oxford, Calico Rock, Norfork, Fifty-Six, Pineville, Big Flat | Calico Rock 2 Wsw | Apr 14 | Oct 28 | 196 |
| Melbourne | Cave, Smithville, Violet Hill | Evening Shade 1 Nne | Apr 14 | Oct 20 | 190 |
| Midway * | Bull Shoals, Gassville, Gainesville, Summit, Lakeview | Mtn Home 1 Nnw | Mar 31 | Nov 1 | 214 |
| Mount Ida | — | Mount Ida Asos | Apr 2 | Oct 31 | 213 |
| Mountain Pine | — | Blakely Mtn Dam | Apr 3 | Nov 4 | 216 |
| Mountain View | Fox, Shirley, Fifty-Six, Edgemont | Mtn View | Apr 2 | Oct 31 | 211 |
| Oark | — | Clarksville 2n | Mar 24 | Nov 10 | 233 |
| Oxford | — | Salem | Apr 8 | Oct 30 | 204 |
| Ozark | St. Paul | Ozark 2 | Mar 30 | Nov 6 | 222 |
| Paragould | Marmaduke, Walcott | Paragould 1s | Mar 26 | Nov 6 | 227 |
| Pindall | Yellville, St. Joe, Western Grove, Everton | Gilbert | Apr 14 | Oct 22 | 189 |
| Pocahontas | Portia, Imboden, Maynard, Ravenden Springs, Delaplaine, O'Kean, +2 more | Pocahontas 1 | Mar 31 | Nov 1 | 214 |
| Pyatt | Summit | Lead Hill | Apr 15 | Oct 22 | 189 |
| Russell | — | Searcy | Mar 27 | Nov 8 | 228 |
| St. Paul | — | Huntsville 1 Ssw | Mar 30 | Nov 7 | 224 |
| Strawberry | Lynn, Powhatan | Alicia 2nne | Mar 27 | Nov 5 | 224 |
| Strawberry | — | Newport | Mar 18 | Nov 11 | 240 |
| Waldron | Mansfield, Hartford | Waldron | Apr 8 | Oct 28 | 203 |
| West Fork | Lincoln, Morrow, Wesley | Fayetteville Drake Fld | Apr 15 | Oct 21 | 188 |
* Midway is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Planting calendar (Midway, representative)
Computed from Midway's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Arkansaszone 7b group. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | Jun 6 – Jun 26 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | Jun 13 – Jul 13 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 3 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 27 – Jun 16 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 22 – Jun 6 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 27 – Jun 6 | Sep 2 – Sep 12 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 30 – Jun 29 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 7 – May 22 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 17 – May 2 | Aug 19 – Sep 3 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 13 – Apr 28 | Aug 9 – Aug 24 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 29 – Apr 8 | Aug 29 – Sep 8 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 10 – Mar 17 | May 9 – May 29 | Jul 30 – Aug 19 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 27 – May 17 | Aug 4 – Aug 24 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Midway's own 214-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.
Frost & freeze dates (Midway)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00035036. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 12 | Apr 30 | Oct 23 | Nov 4 | 193 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 31 | Apr 18 | Nov 1 | Nov 17 | 214 |
| 28°F | Mar 20 | Apr 5 | Nov 12 | Dec 1 | 237 |
| 24°F | Mar 10 | Mar 28 | Nov 23 | Dec 14 | 259 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 36 locations is 4,658; Midway's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 4,511 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,220 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7b in Arkansas
Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 5 to 10 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here. It does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above. Arkansas spans 4 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Arkansas locations for the full range, including zones7a, 8a, 8b.
Explore zone 7b in other states at zone 7b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 7b mean in Arkansas?
- Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 5 to 10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 36 locations in Arkansas fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in Arkansas's zone 7b is the growing season longest?
- Strawberry runs the longest season on this page at about 240 days; West Fork is shortest at about 188 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
- When should I plant tomatoes in Arkansas's zone 7b?
- Using Midway's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Feb 3 – Feb 17, then transplant outside about Apr 7 – Apr 14. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
- Does every location in Arkansas's zone 7b have the same frost dates?
- No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 36 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.