When to Cut Spinach in Arkansas, and How Long It Really Keeps
In Arkansas, cut spinach in two short windows: spring, from seed sown in late winter, and fall, from seed sown once the soil cools.
Arkansas
Home and garden guidance for Arkansas: planting dates for its climate zones, the codes that apply locally, and the rebates residents can actually claim.
Gardening in Arkansas
Everything we have worked out for Arkansas: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Little Rock, the last spring freeze runs March 12 to March 28 and the first fall freeze runs November 7 to November 20, USDA zones 6b-8a, 5,606 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 13 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Arkansas: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When Sweet Corn Is Ready in Arkansas, and How Fast It Fades
Sweet corn in Arkansas is ready 60 to 90 days after planting, and the ear stays at its best for only a short stretch.
Protecting Roses Through a Arkansas Winter
Most roses in Arkansas come through winter with little more than a thick layer of mulch over the crown, a pause in feeding, and some patience about when…
Roses That Hold Up in Arkansas
Pick shrub roses and old garden types that have already proven themselves in heat, humidity and uneven winters, and skip the fussy hybrid teas unless you…
Protecting Hydrangeas Through a Arkansas Winter
In Arkansas, protecting hydrangeas through winter is mostly a matter of timing.
When to Prune Roses in Arkansas
Most Arkansas roses that bloom repeatedly, including hybrid teas, floribundas and shrub roses, get their main pruning in late winter, as buds begin to…
Which Hydrangeas Survive a Arkansas Winter
Nearly every hydrangea sold in Arkansas will live through the winter. The plants rarely die. What fails is the flowers.
When to Plant Grass Seed in Arkansas
Sow warm-season grass seed in Arkansas once the soil two inches down reaches 65°F and is still climbing, which means late spring into early summer.
When to Dethatch a Lawn in Arkansas
Most Arkansas lawns do not need dethatching. The job is justified only when the spongy brown layer above the soil measures more than 0.75 inch, and the…
When to Aerate a Lawn in Arkansas
Most Arkansas lawns are warm-season grasses, and warm-season grasses get aerated in summer while they are growing hard.