What Grows in Hooker, Oklahoma

USDA Zones 6b · 712 acres

Hooker, Oklahoma, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Hooker, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Hooker lot. 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 Hooker — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Hooker — the short answer

Hooker, Oklahoma: USDA zone 6b, about 201 days between hard freezes, across 712 acres of city.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 10
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 28
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~201
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
712 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are this town’s own 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

6b6b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6b is Hooker's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Hooker's 201-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Hooker

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

Season length

Measured

Hooker runs about 201 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

Hooker sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

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 Hooker is in

Hooker sits in the High Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Hooker's own centroid rather than borrowed from Texas County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Hooker

Every plant below cleared Hooker's own zone 6b and its 201-day season. Each card opens that plant's Oklahoma profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OklahomaZones 2–11Hooker's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Oklahoma hazelnut guideZones 4–9Hooker's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in OklahomaZones 5–8Hooker's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Oklahoma growing notesZones 2–11Hooker's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in OklahomaZones 5–8Hooker's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Oklahoma california poppy guideZones 6–10Hooker's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in OklahomaZones 2–10Hooker's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw: Oklahoma growing notesZones 5–9Hooker's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in OklahomaHooker's 201 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Oklahoma kale guideZones 2–11Hooker's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan in OklahomaZones 5–9Hooker's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Oklahoma growing notesZones 4–9Hooker's 201 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in OklahomaZones 2–11Hooker's 201 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Oklahoma okra guideZones 2–12Hooker's 201 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in OklahomaZones 2–11Hooker's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Oklahoma growing notesZones 3–10Hooker's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OklahomaZones 2–11Hooker's 201 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Oklahoma lilac guideZones 4–10Hooker's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OklahomaZones 3–8Hooker's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Oklahoma growing notesZones 3–8Hooker's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OklahomaHooker's 201 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Oregon grape, photograph
Oklahoma oregon grape guideZones 5–8Hooker's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in OklahomaZones 3–9Hooker's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Oklahoma growing notesZones 6–8Hooker's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in OklahomaZones 3–9Hooker's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Oklahoma ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Hooker's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OklahomaZones 2–7Hooker's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Oklahoma growing notesZones 4–10Hooker's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in OklahomaZones 2–10Hooker's 201 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Oklahoma indian grass guideZones 4–9Hooker's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Hooker?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 13; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 10 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 28 — 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's on the federal record near Hooker

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Hooker. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. Hodges FordUnderground Storage Tanks · 1200 ft
  2. Love's Country Store #46Underground Storage Tanks · 2100 ft
  3. Tri County Electric CooperativeUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  4. Texas County Dist. #1Underground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  5. Herbel Concrete & Steel ErectorUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  6. Hooker Equity ExchangeUnderground Storage Tanks · 2400 ft
  7. Northwest Line Const. IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 2400 ft
  8. Hooker Municipal AirportUnderground Storage Tanks · 2600 ft
  9. Perkins Petroleum CoUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  10. ADM GRAIN CO / PANHANDLE TERMINALToxics Release Inventory · 0.6 mi
  11. 05N-17E-23 CA 1Nitrate · 2.0 mi
  12. 04N-17E-15 ACB 1Nitrate · 3.0 mi

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

Measured from Hooker'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 Hooker.

Total Sites

117

within ~10 miles of Hooker

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

1 Toxics Release Inventory facility

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Hooker

High0Moderate103Low14

Highest-Severity Sites

04N-16E-05 Cbb 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
04N-16E-05 Cbb 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
04N-16E-17 Bab 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
04N-16E-17 Bab 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
04N-16E-17 Cbb 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Hooker, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Hooker — CAFO (6 sites) and Nitrate (96 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Hooker

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 Hooker average

Your land is one point inside Hooker

Everything above resolves to Hooker as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 712 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 city 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 local average.

Your Lot vs the Hooker Average

Hooker Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Hooker
  • One soil character for all of Hooker
  • Frost dates read at Hooker's scale: Apr 10 to Oct 28

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Hooker's 6b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Hooker

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Hooker averages 201Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Hooker

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Hooker’s own record; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Hooker

When does frost risk typically end in Hooker?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Hooker typically lands around Apr 10, 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 May 1.

When is the first frost in Hooker?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Hooker typically arrives around Oct 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 14, so the watching starts about Sep 28 — about 201 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Hooker?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Hooker sees about 201 frost-free days — roughly Apr 10 through Oct 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 1 to Oct 14, about 166 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Hooker?

The federal record around Hooker shows 117 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (96), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 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.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Hooker?

From about Sep 28 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Oct 28 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Oct 28. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Hooker's scale — its 6b band and its 201-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Hooker'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 Hooker’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Hooker's own scale — its own ~201-day season between 28°F freezes, the 712 acres it covers and 117 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Hooker's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Hooker's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 10 and Oct 28 and the ~201-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 117 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Hooker, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Hooker's boundary and the 712 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~201-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Hooker's own centroid, the High PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Hooker's 712 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Texas County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Texas County
  • The growing challenges every Oklahoma grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Oklahoma
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Texas County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Hooker's 712 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Hooker you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 712 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Hooker-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address