What Grows in Noble County, Oklahoma

USDA Zones 7a · 468K acres

Noble County, in Oklahoma, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Expect cabbage, hazelnut, california poppy, and collard greens to be strong candidates here; the deciding factors on any one parcel stay local — soil, sun, and drainage.

Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring · NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Score your parcel · free

Noble County holds more than one microclimate.

Soils and elevations shift across Noble County, so your frost dates and drainage aren't the county average. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Noble County — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Noble County — the short answer

Noble County, Oklahoma: USDA zone 7a, about 229 days between hard freezes, across 468K acres.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 26
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 10
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
Days between freezes
~229
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
County area
468K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are county 28°F normals: light frosts run a few weeks past them, and tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks after the last hard freeze.

Hardiness Zone Range

7a7a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7a is Noble County's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Noble County's 229-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Heat and winter chill in Noble County

Across a year, Noble County accumulates about 4,618 growing degree days above 50°F, about 102 fewer than the middle Oklahoma county — ahead of 27 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Degree days are the heat a crop actually gets to work with — more of them is more room to ripen a long-season crop before the freeze closes the window.

Winter banks about 2,098 hours below 45°F, 179 more than the Oklahoma middle of 1,919. Chill is what tells a fruit tree its dormancy is over, and it is set by climate rather than by anything you can build.

Grounded in PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University — 1991–2020 monthly normals

Soil in Noble County

Across Noble County, the ground is predominantly Mollisols, where Grainola, Norge, and Renfrow are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally well drained with a silt loam surface. Topsoil pH runs about 6.0–7.0, slightly acidic. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group D soils.

Soil order

Mollisols

Drainage

Well drained

Prime farmland

54%

Hydric soils

0%

Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

How the ground varies across Noble County

The USDA soil survey maps 96% of Noble County as well drained — but another 2% drains differently: 1% moderately well drained, 1% somewhat poorly drained.

Grainola is the most extensive named soil at 13% of mapped acres, then Norge (11%) and Renfrow (10%).

Which of them your own lot sits on is a parcel question, not a county one. Check your address for the survey at your boundary.

What this means for growing in Noble County

Each reading below is measured for Noble County itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Drainage

Measured

The dominant soils across Noble County are well drained, in hydrologic group D — ground that drains quickly.

The upside is soil you can work early in spring and roots that never drown; the cost is that fast-draining ground dries out fast and leaches nutrients away before plants can use them.

Work in compost and mulch to hold moisture and feed, and water more often in short doses than deep and rarely.

USDA NRCS SSURGO

Surface pH

Measured

Topsoil across Noble County runs about pH 6.0–7.0, close to neutral.

This is the range most vegetables prefer — one correction you probably do not have to make, which is genuinely good news for a new bed.

Keep it there with compost rather than lime or sulfur, and only amend if your own soil test says otherwise.

USDA NRCS SSURGO

Season length

Measured

Noble County runs about 229 days between hard freezes — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Noble County sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Noble County is in

Noble County sits in the Central Great Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. One consistent ecological setting across the whole county.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Noble County

We scored all 1,086 plants against Noble County's own USDA zone 7a and its own 229-day season between hard freezes, using the same matching engine that runs a full parcel report. These cleared both. Sun, soil pH and drainage vary lot by lot — those are the parcel questions below. Each card opens that plant's Oklahoma profile.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OklahomaZones 2–11Noble County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Oklahoma hazelnut guideZones 4–9Noble County's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in OklahomaZones 6–10Noble County's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Oklahoma growing notesZones 2–11Noble County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in OklahomaZones 5–9Noble County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Oklahoma lavender guideZones 5–8Noble County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in OklahomaZones 2–10Noble County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Oklahoma growing notesZones 5–9Noble County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in OklahomaNoble County's 229 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Oklahoma kale guideZones 2–11Noble County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in OklahomaZones 5–10Noble County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Oklahoma growing notesZones 2–11Noble County's 229 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Growing apple in OklahomaZones 3–8Noble County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Oklahoma okra guideZones 2–12Noble County's 229 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in OklahomaZones 2–11Noble County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Oklahoma growing notesZones 3–10Noble County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OklahomaZones 2–11Noble County's 229 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Oklahoma apache plume guideZones 5–11Noble County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OklahomaZones 3–8Noble County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Oklahoma growing notesZones 3–8Noble County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OklahomaNoble County's 229 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Oklahoma holly guideZones 5–11Noble County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in OklahomaZones 3–9Noble County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Oklahoma growing notesZones 6–8Noble County's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in OklahomaZones 3–9Noble County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Oklahoma ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Noble County's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OklahomaZones 2–7Noble County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Oklahoma growing notesZones 4–10Noble County's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in OklahomaZones 5–10Noble County's 229 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Eastern gamagrass, photograph
Oklahoma eastern gamagrass guideZones 5–9Noble County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Noble County?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 26; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 26 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 10 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With a season this long, “too late” mostly means “switch crops” — second sowings and a full fall garden are the norm, with garlic closing the year.

What gets applied to farmland in Noble County

USGS estimates 137,374 lb of Glyphosate on Noble County farmland in 2019, its largest by weight, ahead of 2,4-d (89,088 lb) and Metolachlor & Metolachlor-s (41,040 lb).

Farmland across the whole county, not any one lot. Check your address for the site-by-site record.

Safe to Grow Here?

What the federal record shows across Noble County — and how to grow with it.

Federal record: Moderate

We checked the federal record across Noble County99 documented sites across 6 of the 9 source types we track.

The most significant on record: 4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities. Active industrial facilities reporting chemical releases to air, water, and land.

The federal record across Noble County is a modest one — a typical footprint for a growing area. Nothing here calls for alarm; it's worth knowing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and each one on the map carries its type and location. If one turns out to be a near neighbor, a one-time soil test settles the question.

Sources: EPA, USGS1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.

What's on the federal record near Noble County

Closest first, across Noble County. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. Perry North-1Mining · 4.6 mi
  2. PERRY WATER & LIGHT DEPTPFAS · 5.9 mi
  3. 23N-01E-22 A 1Nitrate · 6.0 mi
  4. Frontier Public SchoolUnderground Storage Tanks · 6.8 mi
  5. Board Of County CommissionersUnderground Storage Tanks · 6.8 mi
  6. Shepherd Oil Co LlcUnderground Storage Tanks · 7.0 mi
  7. Mr. Discount (Kemintz Oil Co.)Underground Storage Tanks · 7.0 mi
  8. Jr ConvenienceUnderground Storage Tanks · 7.1 mi
  9. Sr. Perry MartUnderground Storage Tanks · 7.1 mi
  10. Former Service StationUnderground Storage Tanks · 7.1 mi
  11. Cliff's ConocoUnderground Storage Tanks · 7.2 mi
  12. PERRY AUTO REPAIRBrownfields · 7.2 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Noble County's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Noble County.

Total Sites

99

across Noble County

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

across Noble County

High1Moderate46Low52

Highest-Severity Sites

Perry Water & Light Dept
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
21N-03E-17 B 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
21N-03E-17 B 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
23N-01E-22 a 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
23N-01E-22 a 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Noble County, two things run higher than the national average across Noble County — Mining (14 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (63 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.

Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.

Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.

Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Noble County

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Noble County average

Your land is one point inside Noble County

Everything above resolves to Noble County as a whole — one PHZM band and one county frost record, read across 468K acres. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at county scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better county average.

Your Lot vs the Noble County Average

Noble County Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Noble County
  • One soil character for all of Noble County
  • Frost dates read at Noble County's scale: Mar 26 to Nov 10

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Noble County's 7a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your parcel in Noble County

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Noble County, Oklahoma — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Noble County averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Noble County averages 229Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Noble County — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Noble County average

How we know this about Noble County

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at county grain; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at this county’s own record where one resolves, and the labelled statewide window where none does; soils from the USDA NRCS SSURGO survey, area-weighted across the county’s own map units; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination and pesticide records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Where Noble County carries no record of its own, the figure is inherited and labelled — the resolution ledger below names each.

Common questions about Noble County

When does frost risk typically end in Noble County?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Noble County typically lands around Mar 26, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Apr 16.

How long is the growing season in Noble County?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Noble County sees about 229 frost-free days — roughly Mar 26 through Nov 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 16 to Oct 27, about 194 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Noble County?

The federal record around Noble County shows 99 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (63), the nearest Mining record about 4.6 miles out — a typical footprint for a growing area, and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. It's worth seeing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and testing the soil before new food beds near any of them.

Everything above is measured at Noble County's scale — its 7a band and its 229-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Noble County's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Noble County’s own scale

8 of the readings below were taken at Noble County's own scale — its own ~229-day span between 28°F freezes, the 3 most extensive soil series mapped here and 99 documented sites inside its boundary; one is borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Noble County's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Noble County's own 28°F hard-freeze dates and its ~229-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • The soil order, drainage, surface pH, and the 3 most extensive named soil series mapped in Noble CountyUSDA NRCS SSURGO
  • 99 documented contamination sites inside the county boundary, distance-sorted from its center — the closest Mining record about 4.6 miles outFederal environmental registers
  • Noble County's boundary and the 468,296 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~229-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Noble County sitting wholly inside the Central Great PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Which agricultural compounds go onto Noble County farmland, and roughly how muchUSGS NAWQA EPest county estimates

Inherited from a wider read

  • The growing challenges every Oklahoma grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Oklahoma

What this page can’t tell you

  • How the season shifts across Noble County — the ~229 days above is one reading at its centre; the 12 towns below each carry their owntowns in this county
  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Noble County's 468,296 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which of those 99 documented sites actually reaches your soil — that needs your address, the wind, and the groundwater directionhow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — none of it survives being averaged over Noble Countyread your own land
Go one step finer: towns in Noble County