Oklahoma Garden Tips
Homeowners in Oklahoma, maybe thinking about planting a lush, gorgeous garden. It’s a great idea! Beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables can provide a source of joy for your family and even help prepare for a recession by offsetting the rising costs of fresh produce. Healthy gardens can even add to your home’s perceived value for potential buyers if you plan to sell shortly. Let's look at some Oklahoma garden tips.
Once the soil at planting depth has reached 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s time to start planting! But before you begin ordering seeds, make sure you’ve prepared your garden adequately to ensure the best possible outcome this spring.
Mark Your Garden’s Outline
Start by outlining the boundaries of your garden. Ideally, you want a plot of land close to a water source (an outdoor faucet, for example), with relatively full access to sunlight, and far away from trees, bushes, and other plants that might compete for vital plant resources. Measure the plot and mark it out with stakes and twine, so you’ll know precisely what areas to prepare. And if you haven’t had it done in the last few years, test your soil, so you know exactly what you’re working with.
Prepare the Soil
The soil is probably the most crucial factor determining your garden’s health. Suppose your home is blessed with a deep layer of well-drained, fertile soil. If not, you’ll need to give your garden a bit of a boost. Consider creating a raised bed for your garden, using high-quality fertile topsoil and cedar planks to mark the garden’s boundaries. Work the topsoil over to remove weeds and other substances that might obstruct or impede your plants’ growth. If appropriate, add fertilizer and perhaps mulch to help the plants retain moisture.
Choose Plants That Do Well in the Oklahoma Climate and Soil
For the best possible results, select flowers and vegetable plants best suited for your Tulsa garden. Indigenous and native plants help protect legacy horticulture while simultaneously taking advantage of typical soil alkalinity, moisture levels, and temperature. Lettuce, kale, and chard grow pretty well in the Tulsa area, as do snow peas, green onions, herbs, squash, and tomatoes. If you want to grow flowers, choose annuals such as vinca, blanket flower, Brazilian verbena, fan flowers, and firecracker flowers, among other Tulsa-friendly blooms.
Carefully Plan Your Garden for Spacing
In addition to the right plants, you’ll want to ensure you have enough space between plants so that they’ll have adequate room to grow. The Oklahoma State University Extension website offers a valuable guide on how to tell how much space your plants will need. You can sketch your plan as a diagram using graph paper if you like.
Keep Your Garden Pest-Free the Natural Way
Plan to eliminate pests safely to keep your garden looking healthy all season long. You don’t have to use harmful chemicals to protect a vegetable or flower garden. For example, you might want to try using coffee grounds, white vinegar, or netting to repel squash bugs and other harmful pests. You can also try incorporating other plants believed to draw problems away, such as marigolds, nasturtiums, and dill. This is definitely one of the important Oklahoma garden tips. Squash bugs can literally ruin your garden.
Ready – Set – Plant!
Gardening is a lot of work, but it also comes with potentially huge payoffs. In fact, many people planning to buy a new home take outdoor space and gardens into consideration when making their final selection. Take your time and work with your land and soil by maximizing the garden soil’s health and drainage, then choose the right plants. With a bit of planning and careful preparation, there’s no reason you can’t have a garden that’s the envy of the entire neighborhood this year. We hope these Oklahoma garden tips help inspire you to start a garden in your home today.
