Hempstead County, in Arkansas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.
Growers here do well with tomato, peach, muscadine grape, and sweet potato — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.
Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring
Hempstead County holds more than one microclimate.
Soils and elevations shift across Hempstead County, so your frost dates and drainage aren't the county average. Enter your address and we'll score 1,112 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Quick Facts
USDA Zones
8a
Last Frost (state avg.)
Mar 15 - Apr 15
First Frost (state avg.)
Oct 15 - Nov 10
County Area
465K acres
Hardiness Zone Range
Growing Season
Zone maps are averages across Hempstead County. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
Soil in Hempstead County
Across Hempstead County, the ground is predominantly Ultisols, where Sacul, Sawyer, and Oktibbeha are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally moderately well drained with a fine sandy loam surface. Topsoil pH runs about 5.3–5.5, strongly acidic. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group D soils.
Soil order
Ultisols
Drainage
Moderately well drained
Prime farmland
27%
Hydric soils
18%
Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.
What Grows in Hempstead County
Plants matched to Hempstead County's USDA zones 8a — each links to its full growing profile.
Growing Challenges in Arkansas
What an experienced grower plans around here — each one has a move.
Hot, humid summers drive fungal and bacterial diseases
Morning base-watering, wide spacing, and resistant varieties keep disease manageable — your extension lists what holds up here.
Heavy clay soils in parts of the Ozarks
A raised bed gets you growing this season; compost worked in each fall opens the clay for the long run.
Severe spring storms and hail risk
Keep row cover staged through storm season — five minutes of shelter can save a bed of seedlings from hail.
For cultivar selection, pest pressure, and planting-time guidance specific to Arkansas, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is the authoritative local source.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Hempstead County — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Hempstead County — 352 documented sites across 6 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 3 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Hempstead County carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
Environmental Intelligence
Understanding what's nearby helps you make informed decisions about where and how to grow.
Sources Checked
across Hempstead County
Severity Distribution
across Hempstead County
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Hempstead County, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 174 sites nearby. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.
Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).
Check your specific parcel in Hempstead County
Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,112 plant recommendations.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Your Specific Parcel Matters
Hempstead County Average
- ●USDA Zones 8a
- ●Generic soil type for the area
- ●State-average frost dates
YOUR Parcel
- ✓Your exact hardiness zone
- ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
- ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D
See MY Growing Report
Read your parcel in Hempstead County
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Hempstead County, Arkansas — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Key Growing Facts for Hempstead County, Arkansas
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 8a (USDA PHZM 2023)
- Last Spring Frost (state avg.): Mar 15 - Apr 15 (NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals)
- First Fall Frost (state avg.): Oct 15 - Nov 10 (NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals)
- County Land Area: 465K acres (US Census TIGER 2025)
Zone data: USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Climate data: NOAA NCEI. County boundaries: US Census TIGER/Line 2025.
Frost dates here are the Hempstead County average. Low spots and tree cover move them by days on any one yard — see your exact frost windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zone is Hempstead County, Arkansas?
Hempstead County sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a, per the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 weather data.
When does frost risk typically end in Hempstead County?
Hempstead County follows Arkansas's statewide frost window: last spring frost around Mar 15 - Apr 15 and first fall frost around Oct 15 - Nov 10, per NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991–2020). Frost dates shift with elevation and local microclimate, so watch your own site's cold pockets.
What vegetables grow in Hempstead County?
Hempstead County's zone 8a supports a wide range — strong performers include Tomato, Peach, Muscadine Grape, Sweet Potato, and Blackberry. What actually takes on any one site comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage, and we score each plant against the real conditions at your address.
Which hardiness zone is Hempstead County, really?
Officially, Hempstead County sits in USDA zone 8a (USDA PHZM 2023) — but a zone is a 30-year average of winter's coldest night across an area, and it can't see any one yard. A south-facing slope, a tree line, or a low frost pocket can shift a single site by half a zone either way, which is why neighboring gardeners often quote different numbers. We read the conditions at your exact address — soil, sun, slope, and frost — and score 1,112 plants against what's actually there.
Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Hempstead County?
The federal record around Hempstead County runs heavier than most — 352 documented sites — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.
Just moved to Hempstead County — what should I know before planting?
Start with three facts. Hempstead County sits in USDA zone 8a, which sets what survives winter; the statewide frost window runs about Mar 15 - Apr 15 to Oct 15 - Nov 10 (NOAA 30-year climate normals); and 352 documented sites sit on the federal record here, so a soil test before food beds is the smart first step. From there, matching plants to your actual soil and sun is the fun part.
Everything on this page is a Hempstead County average. Your yard writes its own version — we read soil, sun, drainage, and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.
Will It Grow Here?
Zone fit is the first question — each answer below reads Arkansas's frost window, season length, and soil profile against the plant's real requirements.