Beet Soil in Arkansas: What the Root Will Meet
Arkansas’s state soil, the Stuttgart series, is a somewhat poorly drained silt loam sitting at a mildly acid pH.
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.
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Arkansas
Arkansas peppers often set plenty of flowers but few fruits, and the reason usually traces to temperature, not soil or fertilizer.
When to Start Pepper Seed in Arkansas
In Arkansas, start pepper seed indoors roughly 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to set transplants outside, safe from frost and into soil that’s reached 60°F.
Growing Pumpkins in Arkansas: Will They Ripen in Time?
Yes, most of Arkansas gives pumpkins enough season to ripen before frost, but the deadline isn’t the seeding date; it’s the day the flower opens.
Growing Beets in Arkansas: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Beets can grow well in Arkansas gardens, but the state’s representative soil runs slightly acid, silt-heavy and somewhat poorly drained, and the sowing…
When to Plant Potatoes in Arkansas: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Plant potatoes in Little Rock, Arkansas, 14 to 21 days before the last spring frost, which falls between March 12 and March 28 according to NOAA’s…
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Arkansas
Arkansas gardeners dig their potatoes before the first fall frost, which arrives statewide between November 7 and November 20.
Potato Varieties That Suit Arkansas
Arkansas gardeners who want potatoes worth digging up should lean toward early to mid-season varieties chosen for baking or boiling, planted as a spring…
Growing Carrots in Arkansas: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Arkansas’s official state soil, the Stuttgart series, is a slightly acid, silt-heavy ground that drains slowly, the kind of profile that pushes a carrot…
Growing Parsnips in Arkansas: Will They Sweeten?
Yes, in most of Arkansas parsnips will sweeten, but the effect isn’t uniform across the state.