Ouachita County, in Arkansas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.
Expect tomato, peach, muscadine grape, and sweet potato to be strong candidates here; the deciding factors on any one parcel stay local — soil, sun, and drainage.
Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring
Ouachita County holds more than one microclimate.
Soils and elevations shift across Ouachita 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
469K acres
Hardiness Zone Range
Growing Season
Zone maps are averages across Ouachita County. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
Soil in Ouachita County
Across Ouachita County, the ground is predominantly Ultisols, where Amy, Kirvin, and Sacul are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally well drained with a fine sandy loam surface. Topsoil pH runs about 4.8–5.3, very strongly acidic. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group C soils.
Soil order
Ultisols
Drainage
Well drained
Prime farmland
19%
Hydric soils
35%
Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.
What Grows in Ouachita County
Plants matched to Ouachita 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 Ouachita County — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Ouachita County — 407 documented sites across 6 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 1 Superfund site. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
There's a meaningful federal record across Ouachita County — worth a look before you plant food, not a reason to hold back from growing. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. A soil test before new food beds is the sensible precaution here, and the map shows exactly which sites sit where, so you can see what's actually near you.
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 Ouachita County
Severity Distribution
across Ouachita County
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Ouachita County, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 166 sites nearby. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.
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 Ouachita 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
Ouachita 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 Ouachita County
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Ouachita 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 Ouachita 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: 469K 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 Ouachita 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 Ouachita County, Arkansas?
Ouachita 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 Ouachita County?
Ouachita 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 Ouachita County?
Ouachita 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 Ouachita County, really?
Officially, Ouachita 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 Ouachita County?
The federal record around Ouachita County is a meaningful one — 407 documented sites — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.
Just moved to Ouachita County — what should I know before planting?
Start with three facts. Ouachita 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 407 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 Ouachita 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.