What to plant this week in Little Rock, AR
Little Rock gardeners are in the thick of late spring heat as temperatures hover near 80°F, making this week critical for staking tall crops before storms roll in. With the last frost officially behind us on March 13, you can aggressively sow warm-season giants like okra and cucumbers while harvesting early basil and beans.
The next 7 days
Little Rock, ARGrowing in Little Rock right now
- The red clay soil common to Arkansas drains slowly when wet; add generous amounts of compost now to improve aeration before planting deep-rooted squash varieties.
- Little Rock's afternoon thunderstorms are frequent in April; plant seedlings with their roots facing away from the prevailing southwest wind or use temporary shade cloth to prevent scorching.
- Flush your ornamental gourds and bottle gourd plants with extra water this week to encourage vigorous growth before the heavy rains hit next month.
- Monitor your Malabar Spinach closely, as it thrives in our humidity but can get leggy if left unpruned during these rapid growth spurts.
Sow this week
7 crops- Bush Bean
- Cucumber
- French Marigold
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zucchini
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
36 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Edamame
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Garlic
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Lima Bean
- Loofah (Luffa)
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Pumpkin
- Roselle (Cranberry Hibiscus)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession sow bush beans and pole beans every two weeks for a continuous harvest throughout the growing season.
- Apply a layer of organic mulch around young squash and melons to keep soil cool and retain moisture as temperatures rise.
- Pinch back the tops of basil and borage regularly to encourage bushier growth before the heat sets in.
Pest & disease watch
- Watch for aphid swarms on French Marigolds and Nasturtiums, which often hitchhike on spring winds before the heat sets them back.
- Early season squash vine borers may begin probing into Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash vines; check stems for wilting lower leaves immediately.
- Monitor young Sweet Corn and Pole Beans for cutworm damage at dusk, as these larvae are most active in Little Rock's warm evenings.
Watering this week
Water deeply at the base of plants in the morning to reduce evaporation and prevent fungal issues on leafy greens.
Plant garlic now if you missed the fall window, as it is listed for harvest soon, indicating late planting opportunities remain viable.
Little Rock gardening questions
3Can I still start my garlic indoors or is it too late?
You can plant hardy garlic cloves outdoors right now since the ground isn't frozen, but do not attempt to sow garlic seeds; they require a cold stratification period that our short winter cannot provide.
My Cantaloupe and Watermelon vines are spreading too fast; should I prune them?
Do not cut back the main runners yet, as Little Rock's long growing season allows these melons to produce fruit well past June if given space to root.
When is the best time to harvest my Bush Beans and Lima Beans this week?
Pick the beans every other day starting today; letting them mature too long in our heat causes the pods to become tough and fibrous quickly.
Other cities in zone 8a
11See the full zone 8a guide → · Plan your Little Rock garden in SproutGuide →