When to plant · 9 cities · zones 7a–8a
When to plant cilantro in Arkansas
Direct sow cilantro around Mar 14 — the Arkansas statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Mar 28 across 615 ZIP codes and 117 NOAA stations.
The rule: Direct sow in 60–70 °F soil, a short row every two weeks from four weeks before the last frost until the heat arrives, then again from late summer.
Arkansas cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Mar 28, first fall frost Nov 5, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Cultivar | Start indoors | Sow | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CilantroSlow Bolt (Coriandrum sativum) | Direct sow | Mar 14 | Apr 28 | 45 from sow |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Arkansas's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Arkansas, city by city
Cilantro, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.
| City | Last frost | Sow | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rockzone 8a | Mar 21 | Mar 7 | Apr 21 |
| Fayettevillezone 7a | Apr 15 | Apr 1 | May 16 |
| Fort Smithzone 8a | Mar 25 | Mar 11 | Apr 25 |
| Springdalezone 7a | Apr 4 | Mar 21 | May 5 |
| Jonesborozone 7b | Apr 1 | Mar 18 | May 2 |
| Rogerszone 7a | Apr 12 | Mar 29 | May 13 |
| Conwayzone 8a | Apr 2 | Mar 19 | May 3 |
| North Little Rockzone 8a | Mar 16 | Mar 2 | Apr 16 |
| Bentonvillezone 7a | Apr 12 | Mar 29 | May 13 |
What these cilantro become
What Arkansas cilantro need
Cilantro / Coriander Seed
Bolts in a heartbeat and there is nothing you can do about it — so you succession-sow instead of fighting it. Non-negotiable in salsa verde and zhoug.
Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have
Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.
Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have
Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.
5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack
Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.
AG-30 Frost Protection Row Cover
AG-30 buys roughly 6 °F of frost protection while passing about 70% of light — enough to carry a crop through an early-October cold snap that would otherwise end your season two weeks short.
6" Micro-Tip Pruning SnipsMust have
Ninety percent of sauce-garden cutting is snipping a pepper stem or a basil node, and a fine-tipped snip does it better than any pruner. Pulling peppers by hand tears the branch.
Paid links. We earn a commission from Amazon if you buy; you pay the same. Disclosure.
Cilantro in Arkansas: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Arkansas?
Direct sow around Mar 14 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 2 in the warmest tenth of Arkansas's ZIP codes to Mar 26 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 13 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Arkansas?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Mar 28. In the warmest tenth of Arkansas's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 16; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 9.
When will Arkansas cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Apr 28: 45 days from sow.
More for Arkansas
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant basil
- When to plant onions
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Cilantro in every state → · Arkansas frost dates → · How frost-date math works →