Tulsa, Oklahoma: freeze dates & growing season

Three different things get called “Tulsa” here, so this page is explicit about all three: the metro label (Tulsa), the anchor geography (Census ZCTA 74103, a downtown ZIP-code area), and the climate record (the NOAA station below). Windows are calculated from the station — not from your street address.

Climate basis: NOAA station Tulsa INTL AP, OK (USW00013968), 7 mi (11 km) from the ZCTA 74103 centroid, elevation 650 ft, on the 1991–2020 climate normals.

Last spring freezeMarch 311-in-10 after Apr 15

First fall freezeNovember 41-in-10 before Oct 20

Frost-free season≈ 220 daysmedian at 32°F

Hard freeze, 28°Mar 17 – Nov 13kills even hardy greens

USDA zone7b5 to 10°F winter low — not frost timing

The year

indoors under lights
in the garden
frost-free season
1-in-10 years still freeze to Apr 15

The Tulsa year: hatched areas are the freeze-likely seasons in 1991–2020 normals.

What that means in practice

Tomatoes: plant April 7 – April 21
Peas: plant February 17 – March 3
Garlic: plant cloves November 11 – November 18

All 79 crops in Tulsa

These windows describe typical years (1991–2020 climate normals), not this year's forecast. Freezes happen outside them — especially in frost pockets, valleys, and urban edges. Watch the forecast before committing tender plants.

Check a specific ZIP instead

Metro climates vary — elevation, water, and urban heat shift freeze dates by days to weeks. Look up your exact ZIP:

Nearby reviewed metros

Oklahoma City, OK · Wichita, KS · Kansas City, MO · Little Rock, AR · Dallas, TX