Local planting guide · Great Plains
zip 74013
Broken Arrow is in USDA hardiness zone 7b, with average winter lows of 5°F to 10°F. The local growing season runs roughly 03/30 through 11/04 (~220 days). This zip falls within the Great Plains growing region.
- USDA zone
- 7b 5°F to 10°F
- Last spring frost
- 03/30
- First fall frost
- 11/04
- Growing season
- 220 days
- Compatible crops
- 83
- Growing region
- Great Plains
Right now in Broken Arrow
Week 18 priorities
On the docket: transplant out after last frost · direct sow after last frost. See the full calendar →
Gardening in Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b, where winter lows typically range from 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The growing season stretches 220 days from the last spring frost on March 30 to the first fall frost on November 4, providing solid length for most temperate fruit crops and a wide range of vegetables. The climate here is continental; winters are cold enough to satisfy chill-hour requirements for deciduous fruit trees, but warm summers are the dominant force. Stone fruits like peaches, Japanese plums, and sweet cherries thrive in the reliable warmth. Apples and pears perform well and benefit from dry summers that reduce fungal disease pressure compared to humid eastern zones. The main gardening constraint is managing summer heat and occasional drought during the growing season, not the length of the season itself. This makes Broken Arrow suitable for heat-tolerant varieties of nearly every temperate fruit, and irrigation strategy becomes central to success.
Regional context · Great Plains
What the Great Plains brings to Broken Arrow
Continental, windy, with severe heat and cold extremes. Cold-hardy fruit and small grains north; long warm season for melons, peppers, and pecans south.
Common challenges
Issues that most often defeat home gardeners in zone 7b, drawn from the broader USDA zone profile.
- ▸ Cedar-apple rust pressure heavy in piedmont
- ▸ Japanese beetles
- ▸ Brown marmorated stink bug
- ▸ Late summer disease pressure
What defeats new gardeners in Broken Arrow
Late spring freezes are the single biggest risk here. Peaches and other tender stone fruits break dormancy early in response to warm March days, then often face a hard frost around mid-April, killing flowers and fruit buds. Growers who select the coldest-blooming peach varieties reduce this risk substantially. The second challenge is summer drought and heat stress. Oklahoma's dry summers mean plants that prefer consistent moisture require supplemental irrigation, especially in years with below-normal spring rainfall. Young trees planted in spring are particularly vulnerable to midsummer stress. The third is freeze-thaw cycles in late winter and early spring, which can heave newly planted trees out of the ground or crack bark on thin-barked varieties.
Crops that grow in Broken Arrow
83 crops from our catalog match zone 7b, grouped by type.
Tree fruit
15 crops
zone 7b Apple
Malus domestica
zones 3a–9a
zone 7b Pear
Pyrus communis
zones 4a–8b
zone 7b Peach
Prunus persica
zones 5a–9a
zone 7b European Plum
Prunus domestica
zones 4a–8a
zone 7b Japanese Plum
Prunus salicina
zones 5b–9a
zone 7b Sweet Cherry
Prunus avium
zones 5a–8a
zone 7b Sour Cherry
Prunus cerasus
zones 4a–7b
zone 7b Fig
Ficus carica
zones 7a–10b
Berries
12 crops
zone 7b Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
zones 4a–7b
zone 7b Rabbiteye Blueberry
Vaccinium virgatum
zones 7a–9a
zone 7b Red Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
zones 3b–8a
zone 7b Black Raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
zones 4a–8a
zone 7b Yellow Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
zones 3b–8a
zone 7b Blackberry
Rubus subgenus Rubus
zones 5a–9a
zone 7b June-Bearing Strawberry
Fragaria x ananassa
zones 3a–8b
zone 7b Everbearing Strawberry
Fragaria x ananassa
zones 3b–9a
Nuts
6 crops
Vegetables
40 crops
zone 7b Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
zones 3a–10b
zone 7b Sweet Pepper
Capsicum annuum
zones 4a–10b
zone 7b Hot Pepper
Capsicum species
zones 4a–10b
zone 7b Eggplant
Solanum melongena
zones 5a–10b
zone 7b Potato
Solanum tuberosum
zones 3a–9a
zone 7b Cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
zones 3a–9b
zone 7b Broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. italica
zones 3a–9a
zone 7b Cauliflower
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
zones 3b–9a
Herbs
10 crops
zone 7b Basil
Ocimum basilicum
zones 4a–10b
zone 7b Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
zones 3b–9b
zone 7b Cilantro / Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
zones 3b–9b
zone 7b Dill
Anethum graveolens
zones 3b–9a
zone 7b Oregano
Origanum vulgare
zones 4a–9b
zone 7b Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
zones 4a–9a
zone 7b Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
zones 7a–10b
zone 7b Sage
Salvia officinalis
zones 4a–9a
Plan the year
Planting calendar for Broken Arrow
Year-view of seed starting, transplanting, planting, pruning, fertilizing, harvest, and pest-watch windows tuned to Broken Arrow's local frost dates.
Week ? · loading
This week in Broken Arrow, OK (zone 7b)
Quiet week in Broken Arrow, OK (zone 7b). this week is a good time to step back and plan ahead.
Nothing critical on the calendar this week.
418 bars · 83 crops
Calendar logic combines NOAA frost normals with crop-specific timing data. Local microclimate and weather always overrules the calendar; use this as a starting point.
Top pests for zone 7b
Ranked by how many crops in your zone they affect. Click through for IPM controls and signs to watch for.
Multiple species (Aphididae)
Small soft-bodied sap-sucking insects that reproduce explosively in spring. Excrete honeydew that supports sooty mold and attracts ants. Transmit viral diseases.
Odocoileus species
Whitetail and mule deer browse can devastate orchards and gardens, particularly in winter when food is scarce. Antler rub on young trunks kills saplings outright.
Sylvilagus and Lepus species
Cottontails and jackrabbits strip bark from young fruit trees in winter and graze tender garden vegetables year-round, especially seedlings.
Popillia japonica
Defoliating beetle introduced to North America in 1916. Skeletonizes leaves of many fruit trees, berry canes, and pecan.
Multiple species (Chrysomelidae)
Tiny black or bronze jumping beetles that put hundreds of small holes in seedling leaves. Most damaging on direct-seeded brassicas and young eggplant.
Microtus species
Field voles and meadow voles girdle young fruit-tree trunks under snow cover during winter and chew root crops. The leading cause of mysterious orchard losses.
Meloidogyne species
Microscopic soil-dwelling worm that forms galls on roots, reducing vigor and yield.
Tetranychus urticae
Tiny mite that feeds on leaf undersides, causing stippling and webbing during hot dry weather.
Top diseases for zone 7b
Ranked by how many crops in your zone they affect. Click through for symptoms, controls, and resistant varieties.
Pseudoperonospora cubensis (cucurbits) and others
Water mold (oomycete, not a true fungus) that thrives in cool damp conditions. Spreads rapidly through cucurbit and brassica plantings on wind-borne spores.
Pythium and Rhizoctonia species
Soil-borne complex of water molds and fungi that kill seedlings before or shortly after emergence. The single most common cause of seed-starting failures.
Cucumber mosaic virus, Tobacco mosaic virus, and others
Family of plant viruses producing mottled yellow-and-green leaf patterns. Vectored primarily by aphids; some are seed-transmitted or spread by handling tools and tobacco products.
Botrytis cinerea
Ubiquitous fungal disease that causes fruit rot during cool wet weather, often the dominant berry disease in humid regions.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Soil-borne bacterium that enters plants through wounds and induces tumor-like galls on roots, crown, and lower stems. Galls reduce vigor and shorten plant lifespan; on Rubus the disease is often fatal.
Fusarium oxysporum
Soil-borne fungal disease that plugs vascular tissue and kills affected plants. Persists in soil for many years; impossible to eliminate once established.
Sclerotium rolfsii
Soil-borne fungal disease most damaging in warm humid Southern conditions. White mycelial fans and small mustard-seed-sized sclerotia at the soil line are diagnostic.
Plasmodiophora brassicae
Soil-borne disease causing characteristic distorted club-shaped roots on brassicas. Persists in soil for 10-20 years; the dominant brassica pathogen in acidic poorly-drained soils.
Companion planting suggestions
Beneficial pairings drawn from companion data, filtered to crops that grow in zone 7b.
- Peach + Garlic
Garlic planted around peach trees suppresses peach borer and provides general fungal-pressure reduction.
- European Plum + Garlic
Garlic discourages plum curculio and provides general antifungal benefit beneath stone fruit.
- Fig + Rosemary
Rosemary tolerates the dry sites figs prefer and provides aromatic pest deterrence.
- American Persimmon + Pawpaw
Both natives thrive in similar soils and contribute to a polyculture that supports native pollinators and fauna.
- Jujube + Thyme
Thyme groundcover suits jujube's low-water profile and deters cabbage moth and aphid populations.
- Apricot + Basil
Basil's volatile oils discourage stone-fruit pests and support pollinator visits.
Soil types reference
Soil texture and pH decide what grows easily on your specific lot. Find the closest match below for crop recommendations and amendment guidance.
Practical tips for Broken Arrow
First, choose late-blooming peach and cherry varieties to protect flower buds from the March 30 frost date. Redhaven and similar mid-season peaches bloom later than very early selections and often escape late frosts. Second, plan irrigation as critical infrastructure, not optional. Install drip lines or soaker hoses on heat-sensitive crops and run them mid-morning three times weekly during dry spells (June through August typically). Third, mulch heavily around new fruit trees in fall, before the November 4 first frost date, to stabilize soil temperature and reduce freeze-thaw heaving through winter.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the easiest fruit trees to grow in Broken Arrow?
Apples and pears are the most reliable, tolerating zone 7b winters while benefiting from dry summers that reduce disease pressure. European plums and sour cherries are also tough choices that handle late frosts better than peaches.
- When should I plant fruit trees in Broken Arrow?
Plant bare-root trees in late winter (January to early March), before growth starts. Container trees can go in spring after March 30 or in fall once summer heat breaks. Avoid midsummer planting.
- What's the biggest weather risk for gardeners here?
Late spring frosts kill stone fruit flowers. A warm spell in March triggers blooming, then an April freeze wipes out the crop. Choose late-blooming varieties and avoid planting tender early bloomers in low-lying frost pockets.
- How much water do vegetable gardens need during summer?
Water deeply 2 to 3 times per week during dry spells (June through August). Mulch to retain moisture. Container gardens dry faster and may need daily watering in peak heat.
- Can I grow figs in Broken Arrow?
Yes, with variety selection and winter care. Grow cold-hardy varieties like Chicago Hardy, mulch heavily before the November 4 frost date, and prune out winter-killed wood in spring. They fruit reliably in zone 7b if managed correctly.
- What's the best time to prune fruit trees?
Prune in late winter (January to March) while trees are dormant and before growth starts. Avoid fall pruning, which stimulates tender growth that frost will kill. Remove freeze-damaged wood after the April thaw.
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Frost data: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00053908. Local microclimates can shift these dates by a week or more.
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