What Grows in Datto, Arkansas

USDA Zones 7b · 397 acres

Datto, Arkansas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Datto, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Datto lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Datto — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Datto — the short answer

Datto, Arkansas: USDA zone 7b, about 251 days between hard freezes, across 397 acres of town.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 14
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 20
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~251
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
397 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are this town’s own 28°F normals: light frosts run a few weeks past them, and tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks after the last hard freeze.

Hardiness Zone Range

7b7b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7b is Datto's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Datto's 251-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Datto

Each reading below is measured for Datto itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

Measured

Datto runs about 251 days between hard freezes — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Datto sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Datto is in

Datto sits in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Datto's own centroid rather than borrowed from Clay County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Datto

Every plant below cleared Datto's own zone 7b and its 251-day season. Each card opens that plant's Arkansas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in ArkansasZones 2–11Datto's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Arkansas prickly pear guideZones 5–10Datto's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in ArkansasZones 6–10Datto's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Arkansas growing notesZones 2–11Datto's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in ArkansasZones 6–10Datto's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Arkansas lavender guideZones 5–8Datto's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in ArkansasZones 2–10Datto's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Arkansas growing notesZones 6–9Datto's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in ArkansasDatto's 251 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Arkansas kale guideZones 2–11Datto's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in ArkansasZones 4–9Datto's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Arkansas growing notesZones 2–11Datto's 251 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in ArkansasZones 5–9Datto's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Arkansas okra guideZones 2–12Datto's 251 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in ArkansasZones 2–11Datto's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Arkansas growing notesZones 3–10Datto's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in ArkansasZones 2–11Datto's 251 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Arkansas apache plume guideZones 5–11Datto's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in ArkansasZones 3–8Datto's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Arkansas growing notesZones 3–8Datto's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in ArkansasDatto's 251 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Arkansas holly guideZones 5–11Datto's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in ArkansasZones 3–9Datto's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Arkansas growing notesZones 6–8Datto's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in ArkansasZones 4–10Datto's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Arkansas ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Datto's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in ArkansasZones 2–7Datto's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Arkansas growing notesZones 5–11Datto's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in ArkansasZones 5–10Datto's 251 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Arkansas ajuga guideZones 5–11Datto's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Datto?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 14; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 14 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 20 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the season winds down slowly: late sowings, a real autumn harvest, and garlic in the ground before the first hard freeze.

What's on the federal record near Datto

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Datto. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. FARM SERVICE, INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  2. BUD'S SERVICEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.6 mi
  3. NORTHSIDE UNION 76Underground Storage Tanks · 3.7 mi
  4. CROCKETT'S STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.7 mi
  5. WOOLARD FLYING SERVICE INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.5 mi
  6. MTM AIRCRAFTUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.5 mi
  7. CORNING MUNICIPAL AIRPORTUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.6 mi
  8. 20N02E01DBB1Nitrate · 4.7 mi
  9. 20N04E04AAB1Nitrate · 4.9 mi
  10. 20N02E24DDA1Nitrate · 5.0 mi
  11. 21N04E34DCA1Nitrate · 5.8 mi
  12. 21N04E34DDC1Nitrate · 5.9 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Datto's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Datto.

Total Sites

68

within ~10 miles of Datto

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Datto

High0Moderate35Low33

Highest-Severity Sites

19n04e01abb1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
19n04e01abb1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
20n04e04aab1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
20n04e04aab1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
21n04e34dca1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Datto, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 24 sites within ~10 miles of Datto. 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).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Datto

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Datto average

Your land is one point inside Datto

Everything above resolves to Datto as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 397 acres. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Datto Average

Datto Average

  • USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Datto
  • One soil character for all of Datto
  • Frost dates read at Datto's scale: Mar 14 to Nov 20

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Datto's 7b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Datto

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Datto, Arkansas — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Datto averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Datto averages 251Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Datto — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Datto average

How we know this about Datto

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Datto’s own record; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Datto

When does frost risk typically end in Datto?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Datto typically lands around Mar 14, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Apr 4.

When is the first frost in Datto?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Datto typically arrives around Nov 20, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 6, so the watching starts about Oct 21 — about 251 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Datto?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Datto sees about 251 frost-free days — roughly Mar 14 through Nov 20, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 4 to Nov 6, about 216 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Datto?

The federal record around Datto is a meaningful one — 68 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (36), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.6 miles out — 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.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Datto?

From about Oct 21 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Nov 20 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Nov 20. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Datto's scale — its 7b band and its 251-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Datto's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Datto’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Datto's own scale — its own ~251-day season between 28°F freezes, the 397 acres it covers and 68 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Datto's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Datto's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 14 and Nov 20 and the ~251-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 68 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Datto, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.6 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Datto's boundary and the 397 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~251-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Datto's own centroid, the Mississippi Alluvial PlainUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Datto's 397 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Clay County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Clay County
  • The growing challenges every Arkansas grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Arkansas
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Clay County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Datto's 397 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Datto you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 397 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.6 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Datto-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address