What Grows in Shady Grove, Oklahoma

USDA Zones 7b · 8K acres

Shady Grove, Oklahoma, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

Reliable performers under these conditions include cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Shady Grove, 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 Shady Grove 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 Shady Grove — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Shady Grove — the short answer

Shady Grove, Oklahoma: USDA zone 7b, about 232 days between hard freezes, across 8K acres of town.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 23
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 10
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~232
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
8K 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

7b7b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7b is Shady Grove's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Shady Grove's 232-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Shady Grove

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

Season length

Measured

Shady Grove runs about 232 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

Shady Grove sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b.

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 Shady Grove is in

Shady Grove sits in the Ozark Highlands — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Shady Grove's own centroid rather than borrowed from Cherokee County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Shady Grove

Every plant below cleared Shady Grove's own zone 7b and its 232-day season. Each card opens that plant's Oklahoma profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OklahomaZones 2–11Shady Grove's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Oklahoma prickly pear guideZones 5–10Shady Grove's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in OklahomaZones 6–10Shady Grove's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Oklahoma growing notesZones 2–11Shady Grove's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in OklahomaZones 6–10Shady Grove's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Oklahoma lavender guideZones 5–8Shady Grove's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in OklahomaZones 2–10Shady Grove's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Oklahoma growing notesZones 6–9Shady Grove's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in OklahomaShady Grove's 232 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Oklahoma kale guideZones 2–11Shady Grove's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in OklahomaZones 4–9Shady Grove's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Oklahoma growing notesZones 2–11Shady Grove's 232 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in OklahomaZones 5–9Shady Grove's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Oklahoma okra guideZones 2–12Shady Grove's 232 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in OklahomaZones 2–11Shady Grove's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Oklahoma growing notesZones 3–10Shady Grove's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OklahomaZones 2–11Shady Grove's 232 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Oklahoma apache plume guideZones 5–11Shady Grove's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OklahomaZones 3–8Shady Grove's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Oklahoma growing notesZones 3–8Shady Grove's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OklahomaShady Grove's 232 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Oklahoma holly guideZones 5–11Shady Grove's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in OklahomaZones 3–9Shady Grove's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Oklahoma growing notesZones 6–8Shady Grove's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in OklahomaZones 4–10Shady Grove's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Oklahoma ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Shady Grove's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OklahomaZones 2–7Shady Grove's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Oklahoma growing notesZones 5–11Shady Grove's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in OklahomaZones 5–10Shady Grove's 232 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Oklahoma ajuga guideZones 5–11Shady Grove's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Shady Grove?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 23; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 23 (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's on the federal record near Shady Grove

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

  1. Shady Grove SchoolUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  2. Lake Region Electric Coop Inc.Underground Storage Tanks · 2.5 mi
  3. LAKE REGION ELECTRIC COOPERATIVEBrownfields · 2.7 mi
  4. Childers StationUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  5. Lost City FeedUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  6. Country CornerUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  7. Bulletts Country StoreUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  8. Hulbert Super StopUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.0 mi
  9. Hulbert Public SchoolUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.0 mi
  10. BOBS MACHINE SHOPBrownfields · 3.0 mi
  11. Midwestern NurseryUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.2 mi
  12. J & LUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.4 mi

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

Measured from Shady Grove'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 Shady Grove.

Total Sites

114

within ~10 miles of Shady Grove

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

2 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Shady Grove

High1Moderate29Low84

Highest-Severity Sites

Tahlequah Pwa
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
American Woodmark Corp
Toxics Release Inventory · 74464mrcnw95mai
Big B Food & Deli #2
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bjb'S
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Casey'S General Store #3411
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Shady Grove, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 88 sites within ~10 miles of Shady Grove. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Shady Grove

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 Shady Grove average

Your land is one point inside Shady Grove

Everything above resolves to Shady Grove as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 8K 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 town 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 Shady Grove Average

Shady Grove Average

  • USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Shady Grove
  • One soil character for all of Shady Grove
  • Frost dates read at Shady Grove's scale: Mar 23 to Nov 10

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Shady Grove's 7b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Shady Grove

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Shady Grove averages 232Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Shady Grove

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Shady Grove’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 town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-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 Shady Grove

When does frost risk typically end in Shady Grove?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Shady Grove typically lands around Mar 23, 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 13.

When is the first frost in Shady Grove?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Shady Grove typically arrives around Nov 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 27, so the watching starts about Oct 11 — about 232 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Shady Grove?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Shady Grove sees about 232 frost-free days — roughly Mar 23 through Nov 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 13 to Oct 27, about 197 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Shady Grove?

The federal record around Shady Grove shows 114 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (88), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.8 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 Shady Grove?

From about Oct 11 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 Nov 10 (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 Nov 10. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Shady Grove's scale — its 7b band and its 232-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Shady Grove'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 Shady Grove’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Shady Grove's own scale — its own ~232-day season between 28°F freezes, the 8,057 acres it covers and 114 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Shady Grove's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Shady Grove's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 23 and Nov 10 and the ~232-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 114 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Shady Grove, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.8 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Shady Grove's boundary and the 8,057 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~232-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Shady Grove's own centroid, the Ozark HighlandsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Shady Grove's 8,057 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Cherokee County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Cherokee 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 Cherokee County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Shady Grove's 8,057 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Shady Grove you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 8,057 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.8 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 Shady Grove-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address