when to plant in oklahoma?

tct1219

i really wanted to have a small, organic veggie garden this year but i waited too long. i don't want to make that mistake again so when should i start the seeds [inside i assume?] in time for next year?

also, where's a good place to buy seeds? i'm very new to this, obviously.

goldenjes

I think you could still pick up some plants at a farmers' market or something if you want to plant this year.  Your summer season will be a bit shorter, and you could also do some colder plants in the fall.

When to plant depends on your location/zone.  Here (w of Denver) we can still get frost through May so people often wait on things like tomatoes, although lettuces, etc can be put in the ground much earlier.  It looks like OK is either 6-7, so you could plant earlier than we can.  Check here for a map though.

I usually figure out what I want to plant and when they should go in the ground (based on guidelines for my zone) and then back up a few weeks (depending on type) and write that down for planting seeds inside.

Some more info:

http://www.heirloomseeds.com/schedule-2.htm

http://www.humeseeds.com/falwint.htm

 

Also check out your local extension office - something like this:

http://www.oces.okstate.edu/

 

Snowful

I live in Oklahoma as well, and I've had good luck starting my seeds indoors in the January/February timeframe and typically transplant into raised beds around April/May.  If I don't do seeds, I just buy some organic plants from one of several herbal festivals (Sand Springs is excellent) and plant in May.  I've had the best luck buying my seeds from TLC in Oklahoma City. 

It's never too late to start since Oklahoma has such a long growing season.  For what it's worth, TLC should be having a HUGE sale in about another month or so where everything is at least 50% off or more.  Good luck!

BsNakedlady

This is my first year planting anything and I started from seeds in a raised bed in late April. I did buy tomato plants at the farmer's market but planted those the same time I planted my seed. I'm a true newbie and basically have no freaking idea what I'm doing. But everything looks ok thus far. OSU offers quite a bit of info online and I found this table to use for some guidance:

 http://osufacts.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1092/HLA-6004web.pdf

tct1219

thank you all so much! i wasn't sure if i would be able to buy any organic plants so i figured i'd have to start with seeds. i appreciate all of the links and info, i will look into it asap.

SunnyDaze31

I'm also in Oklahoma. I did my outside planting in early April. I started seedlings indoors in February, but I managed to kill them all before it was time to transplant, so I ended up just planting a bunch of seeds directly in the ground.

Unless you plan to grow some very heat tolerant plants, now's pretty late for a spring planting. Despite lots of water, many of my veggie plants are starting to die from the heat. Over a week of 95+ degree days with no rain will do that.

You can still do a fall planting of cool weather veggies though! I'm going to do my fall planting in mid-to-late August or the first week of September. I waited too long last year (late Sept.) and my plants were just starting to develop veggies when the first hard frost got them.The were fine for a few mild frosts before that.

I bought some of my seeds in the spring/early summer at the chain stores in town (Home Depot, Ace hardware, etc). and some online last fall from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange when I couldn't find any locally in stores for my fall planting.