When Can You Turn the Heat Off in Oklahoma?
May is Oklahoma’s quietest month for heating and cooling combined, but the number attached to it, about 201 degree days, still sits closer to the busy…
Gardening in Oklahoma
Everything we have worked out for Oklahoma: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Oklahoma City, the last spring freeze runs March 28 to April 10 and the first fall freeze runs October 29 to November 8, USDA zones 6a-8a, 5,375 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 13 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Oklahoma: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Will Sweet Corn Ripen in Oklahoma?
Yes, sweet corn ripens in Oklahoma. The state’s frost-free stretch runs long enough that even a slower-maturing variety has room to finish before autumn…
When to Sow Sweet Corn in Oklahoma
Soil temperature decides the start date, not the calendar. In Oklahoma, sweet corn seed wants soil above 60°F, a mark the ground doesn’t reach until well…
When to Sow Autumn Spinach in Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, autumn spinach goes into the ground roughly from mid-August through late September, once the soil has cooled down from summer’s peak.
Will Spinach Bolt Early in Oklahoma?
In Oklahoma, spinach bolts early because both triggers line up against it: the summer day length crosses the flowering threshold well before summer heat…
Will Oklahoma Soil Hold an Asparagus Bed for Fifteen Years?
Yes, in most cases. Oklahoma’s state soil, the Port series, is a well-drained loam-to-silt that can carry an asparagus bed through its full 10 to 15 year…
When to Plant Asparagus Crowns in Oklahoma
Plant asparagus crowns in Oklahoma in early spring, timed to the last frost window of late March into early April.
Growing Sweet Corn in Oklahoma: Will It Ripen?
Yes, sweet corn ripens in Oklahoma, provided you time the soil warm-up correctly rather than the last frost date.
Growing Asparagus in Oklahoma: Fifteen Years in One Spot
Oklahoma gardeners looking at an asparagus bed are really looking at a fifteen-year lease on a patch of ground.
When to Sow Pumpkins in Oklahoma
In most of Oklahoma, pumpkin seed goes into the ground once soil temperature hits 65°F, which usually lands in mid-to-late May, well after the last…