Hopes Of Good Weather Have Oklahomans Ready To Garden

It happens every year, people are so fed up with cold and winter weather, that when the first good weather weekend arrives they head for the garden center. Unfortunately, it may be a little too early.

Hundreds made their way to the Southwood Landscape and Garden Center looking for herbs, tomatoes and flowers to get a garden started.

The pinks and reds of all the flowers are pretty enough to make anyone want to get out and did in the dirt and transfer them to the garden. This past weekend was beautiful, and garden centers like Southwood were very busy.

But I was thinking it might be a bit early, but Joe Schulte said you don't have to be much of a gambler to plant right now.

"If you just look at a 48 year average, the probability of a killing frost is pretty limited right now. The odds are better of planting tomato plants right now than going to the casino," Schulte said.

He showed me a map that shows our chances for freezing temperatures is low, and if we wait until tax day they're even lower. That's not that it couldn't happen, last year folks in Northeast Oklahoma woke up to snow on May 3rd.

But, if you'd rather not gamble, there's lots of prep work to do before you plant.

"Any weeding that needed to get done, you could work the soil now and get it ready to go," Schulte said.

Or, you could just take a chance and get after the planting.

Southwood recently had a big charity event benefiting the Food Bank and they gave away about 9,000 tomato plants.