Oklahoma
Planting zones in Jackson County, Oklahoma
Every ZIP code in this county is USDA zone 7b β so unlike most of the places people look up, there is one right answer here and it holds wherever you are in the county.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Jackson County, Oklahoma as a whole. Hardiness zones and freeze dates are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact β enter it and this page will tell you your zone, which NOAA station it comes from and how far away that station is.
The growing season in Jackson County is closing
Nothing in the 32-crop table still has time to mature here. The first fall freeze normally arrives October 28 β November 6 across the 7 NOAA stations serving this county .
Your next season already has a date
The first job of it is π§ Green Onions, start indoors, around February 5 β February 13 β counted back from a last spring freeze of April 2 β April 10 here.
These are ranges across the whole county. The ZIP lookup above gives the dates from your own nearest station instead.
All 7 stations agreeAt least one station
Every one of the 7 NOAA stations serving this county counts April 10 β October 28 as growing season (201 days). Widening to any single station gives April 2 β November 6 (218 days).
Your freeze dates
Across the 7 NOAA stations serving this county. These are medians β half of years freeze later than the date shown β so treat the later end of each range as the cautious one.
The growing season runs 200β217 days depending which station you are nearest, as published by NOAA rather than computed from the dates above. Summer highs average 93β95.2 Β°F in JuneβAugust. That is past the point where tomato and pepper pollen fails and cool-season greens bolt, so in this county heat decides as much as frost does. Summer rain over the same months runs 8.6β10.0" across those 6 stations, against the rough inch a week β about 13 inches over the same 92 days β that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. The middle station covers about 71% of it, so expect to make up the rest. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 95 Β°F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.
Every ZIP code in Jackson County
Zones are published per ZIP code, not per county, so this is the exact answer rather than the county's average. The station column is the nearest one to that ZIP code's centroid and how far away it is β the same figure the tools use, shown here so you can see which ZIP codes are well covered and which are reaching.
| ZIP code | USDA zone | Nearest NOAA station | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73521 | 7b | Altus Irig Rsch Stn, OK | 5.2 km |
| 73523 | 7b | Altus Irig Rsch Stn, OK | 8.5 km |
| 73526 | 7b | Altus Dam, OK | 10.6 km |
| 73532 | 7b | Hollis 5E, OK | 21.3 km |
| 73537 | 7b | Quanah 2 SW, TX | 22.6 km |
| 73539 | 7b | Tipton 4S Mesonet, OK | 13.3 km |
| 73549 | 7b | Altus Irig Rsch Stn, OK | 17.7 km |
| 73556 | 7b | Mangum 5Se Mesonet, OK | 12.7 km |
| 73560 | 7b | Altus 3S Mesonet, OK | 11.1 km |
ZIP-code positions are area centroids, so a large rural ZIP code's listed distance is measured from the middle of its area rather than from any particular address in it.
When to start seeds in Jackson County
Every date below is anchored on the last spring freeze at each station and reported as a range across all 7 of them, because no one station speaks for the county.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| π§ Green Onions | Start indoors | February 5 β February 13 | 8 wk before |
| πΆοΈ Peppers | Start indoors | February 5 β February 13 | 8 wk before |
| π₯¦ Broccoli | Start indoors | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Cabbage | Start indoors | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Collards | Start indoors | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kale | Start indoors | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π« Peas | Direct sow | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Spinach | Direct sow | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π Sweet Potato | Start indoors | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π Tomatoes | Start indoors | February 19 β February 27 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Bok Choy | Start indoors | February 26 β March 6 | 5 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kohlrabi | Start indoors | February 26 β March 6 | 5 wk before |
| π₯¬ Swiss Chard | Start indoors | February 26 β March 6 | 5 wk before |
| π₯¬ Arugula | Direct sow | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| π₯¬ Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| π₯ Beets | Direct sow | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| π§ Green Onions | Direct sow | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| π₯¬ Mustard Greens | Direct sow | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| πΆοΈ Okra | Start indoors | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| π± Radishes | Direct sow | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| π₯ Turnips | Direct sow | March 5 β March 13 | 4 wk before |
| π₯¬ Cabbage | Set out | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯ Carrots | Direct sow | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Collards | Direct sow | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Collards | Set out | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯ Cucumbers | Start indoors | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π§ Green Onions | Set out | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kale | Direct sow | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kale | Set out | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kohlrabi | Direct sow | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kohlrabi | Set out | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π Pumpkins | Start indoors | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π Summer Squash | Start indoors | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π Winter Squash | Start indoors | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯ Zucchini | Start indoors | March 12 β March 20 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Bok Choy | Direct sow | March 19 β March 27 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Bok Choy | Set out | March 19 β March 27 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¦ Broccoli | Set out | March 19 β March 27 | 2 wk before |
| πΏ Cilantro | Direct sow | March 19 β March 27 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Leaf Lettuce | Set out | March 19 β March 27 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Swiss Chard | Direct sow | March 19 β March 27 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Swiss Chard | Set out | March 19 β March 27 | 2 wk before |
| πΏ Dill | Direct sow | March 26 β April 3 | 1 wk before |
| π« Bush Beans | Direct sow | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Cucumbers | Set out | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π Pumpkins | Direct sow | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π Pumpkins | Set out | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π Summer Squash | Direct sow | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π Summer Squash | Set out | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π½ Sweet Corn | Direct sow | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π Tomatoes | Set out | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π Winter Squash | Direct sow | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π Winter Squash | Set out | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Zucchini | Direct sow | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Zucchini | Set out | April 9 β April 17 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Cucumbers | Direct sow | April 16 β April 24 | 2 wk after |
| πΆοΈ Okra | Direct sow | April 16 β April 24 | 2 wk after |
| πΆοΈ Okra | Set out | April 16 β April 24 | 2 wk after |
| πΆοΈ Peppers | Set out | April 16 β April 24 | 2 wk after |
| π« Southern Peas | Direct sow | April 16 β April 24 | 2 wk after |
| π Sweet Potato | Set out | April 16 β April 24 | 2 wk after |
Offsets are published guidance; the dates they land on are computed from measured NOAA normals. The seed-starting tool does this for your own ZIP code and counts the days.
What lives through a zone 7b winter
Of 74 perennial edibles, 56 come through a zone 7b winter β and 3 fail here for being too warm rather than too cold, needing more winter chill than this county gets or more heat than they tolerate. Among the ones that work: Apple, Aronia, Black Currant, Elderberry, Gooseberry, Summer Raspberry, Asparagus, Horseradish.
Hardiness ranges are a judgement, published by growers rather than measured; the zone they are compared against is measured. On a warm-end verdict, check with your local extension service β a coastal zone 8 and an inland zone 8 are not the same summer.
Cautious β shortens the seasonMedian across stationsOptimistic
- Last spring freeze
- Plan to April 27 to be careful. Median April 2 β April 10 across 7 stations; March 11 is the optimistic end.
- First fall freeze
- Plan to October 15 to be careful. Median October 28 β November 6 across 7 stations; November 21 is the optimistic end.
NOAA publishes these as probabilities, not averages β the middle figure is a median, so half of years fall either side of it. The cautious end is the 10% tail: in roughly nine years in ten the freeze falls on the safe side of it.
The 7 stations behind these numbers
All 7 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 68 km north to south. Every one is named with its identifier in the station list below β this page does not single one out, because no one station speaks for a whole county.
A relative sketch, not a map with a projection: longitude is adjusted for latitude so the shape is not stretched, and there is no basemap. For the one station nearest a specific address, with its real distance, use the ZIP lookup above.
These are the stations this county's ZIP codes actually cite as nearest β not a claim that each one sits inside its boundary, since a rural ZIP legitimately reaches over it. Every figure above comes from them, and each is named so you can check it.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altus 3S Mesonet, OK | USC00340180 | April 3 | November 4 | 214 days |
| Altus Dam, OK | USC00340184 | April 2 | November 3 | 213 days |
| Altus Irig Rsch Stn, OK | USC00340179 | April 5 | November 2 | 210 days |
| Hollis 5E, OK | USC00344249 | April 10 | October 28 | 200 days |
| Mangum 5Se Mesonet, OK | USC00345514 | April 10 | October 29 | 201 days |
| Quanah 2 SW, TX | USC00417336 | April 4 | November 1 | 210 days |
| Tipton 4S Mesonet, OK | USC00348879 | April 3 | November 6 | 217 days |
These are medians, not averages β NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Your own ZIP
Work out your own dates
This page describes a whole county. Every tool below answers for one ZIP code, which is the grain the underlying data is published at.
Other places to compare
Jackson County sits in Oklahoma. That page carries the whole state's zone spread, its metro areas, and every other county in it with a page here.
More of Oklahoma
- Payne County, OK 7aβ7b
- Pottawatomie County, OK 7b
- Pushmataha County, OK 7bβ8a
- Blaine County, OK 7aβ7b
- Alfalfa County, OK 7a
- Dewey County, OK 7a
- Garvin County, OK 7b
- Hughes County, OK 7b
- Kay County, OK 7a
- Kiowa County, OK 7b
- Major County, OK 7a
- Noble County, OK 7a
Counties with the same zones β 7b
Matched on the exact zone set, not a dominant zone, so the winter answer on these pages really is the same one as here.
Gear
If you want to act on this
Each link opens an Amazon search rather than a product we picked. We have not tested these and do not rank them β the search is the honest version, and you choose.
- Shade clothSummer highs here average 95 Β°F, at or above the 90 Β°F point where lettuce and spinach bolt and tomato pollen fails.
- Row cover and frost clothThe season here closes at the first fall freeze dated above β a cover buys back some of those days at the end.
- MulchFor the perennials nearest their cold limit in zone 7b, where an insulated crown is what decides whether they come back.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra, and it buys no influence over anything on this site: the dates come from NOAA normals and the zones from the USDA, and no product affects either.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
Hardiness zones are the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. Freeze dates and growing-season lengths are NOAA 1991β2020 Climate Normals, taken per station and cited above by name and NOAA ID.
County boundaries come from the Census ZCTA-to-county relation, which is what places each ZIP code β and which treats parishes, boroughs and census areas as county equivalents. No station is chosen to represent this county: every range above is taken across all of them and the count is stated, because picking one would be a judgement dressed as a measurement.