WE moved here ~ 1 1/2 years ago.
The people are very friendly.
Gardening-wise, I guess it depends on what your used to.
We moved from New England, so this has been a complete change for us. The soil is mostly clay, usually with an alkaline pH.
Rainfall is sporatic at best, though last year we had more than normal (or so I am told).
Though challenging, I like the new gardening climate.
I may not be able to grow blueberries and apples like I could back east, but then I now grow the best cantaloupes!
Come join in the fun!

Hi and welcome! I am a transplant as well.

What do I like about Oklahoma..the hot weather.
What do I dislike about Oklahoma..the hot weather.
*LOL* You'll find out what I mean after being here for a while. :-)
Gardening can be a challenge at times, but the good folks on this forum are very helpful. And, as HPD stated, we can grow the best melons!

~Heidi

Well, we have the very best weather and the very worst weather, but at least it isn't dull. The people are nicer here than anywhere I have ever lived. As for gardening, as long as you amend the soil and pay your water bill (and practice conserving water), you can grow most things. An Oklahoma gardener learns to adapt and the challenge is fun. Welcome.

The thing that may amaze you is the wind! Some days its a light breeze but most days its pretty windy here,,,trees swaying and the whole 9 yards,,,haha. Just about everyday is a bad hair day here!
Humidity may also be something you will have to get use to in summer. It added with the hot temps can some days about take your breath away! Temps average year round somewhere between in the teens to up around 113 degrees! Bring warm clothes and deoderant! hahaha. You havent lived till you cross a asphalt street and feel your feet sink a bit because the asphalts softened.
Seems to get hotter after the wheat is harvested and the fields are plowed. The turned soil seems to hold the heat then. Thats usually around mid-June.
Plants really love the humidity here in summer but need mulched in come winter or you will loose alot.
Its not so bad here and we have a few nice lakes for boating and fishing but nothing like your clear streams in CO.
Hope I didnt scare ya off! haha,,,,,Debbie

I have lived in Oklahoma City my whole life. I have traveled quite a bit and I can say that Oklahomans are definitely some of the nicest people around. Of, course you will run into an occasional jerk or two but that is to be found anywhere.

As for the soil, it depends on where you move in the city. I have relatives in far North Oklahoma City, aka Suburbia, and they have extremely hard clay soil. I live in central OKC, the old part of town, and the soil here is wonderful and full of eathworms and other beneficial organisms. The land on which my neighborhood sits was farm land a long time ago and I think that may have something to do with it. Plus the soil has been cultivated many times over the past 75 years by previous residents.

There are great old neighborhoods here with lots of charm and history (Mesta Park, Heritage Hills, Crown Heights, Edgemere Park, etc.) that I would definitely look into when choosing a home in the city. There are all types of houses from tiny to monstrous, duplexes, eight-plexes and garage apartments in this area available in all price ranges and in varying conditions from fixer-upper to completely refurbished and modernized, state of the art. They are also building a lot of brand new houses in this area that are built to match the old style architecture of the surrounding houses. It is pretty cool.

Oklahoma weather is definitely not for the timid, however. If you prefer a temperate climate this is not the place you want to be. I see it this way; we get to experience just about every weather extreme present on the planet except for hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, mudslides, volcanoes, tsunamis, er ok, well, nevermind. The temps here in winter do tend to dip pretty low (in the teens to even single digits occasionally) and summer highs can be really high. Factor in the humidity and it can be downright uncomfortable. But luckily that only lasts for a limited couple of months. I can think of worse situations. We have absolutely gorgeous Spring and Autumn weather, though. I have never had any trouble adapting my gardening to our climate.

We having a saying in Oklahoma - if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change.

Having lived in Kansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Dallas, I'd have to say that Oklahoma is probably one of the most difficult states to adjust to, as far as gardening. We are like the keystone kops (giving away my age now). One day we are carting plants out into the yard, and by evening, we are carting them back in because the temps will be frosty. So we dart here and there, and everywhere. If it's not due to the temps, its the critters and bugs. Yes, Grasshopper has a more literal meaning in Oklahoma, than a spiritual one.

The winters can be tough, but then again, not tough enough to kill off the uglies. The summers can be hot, but not quite hot enough to have your eggs scramble in under a minute on a hot sidewalk. We don't have mountains like the Rockies, but we do have molehills almost as tall as our mountains.

Not only can you now grow cantaloupes, Hot Pepper, but you can grow cannas, too!

I live in central OKC, too, and the soil is better in this area than others, although still mixed with a bit of clay. I always amend. That is the key in Oklahoma. When the preacher says "we thank thee, Lord, for thy wonderful bounty," under his breath, he's reminding us all, "and don't forget to amend, brothers."

Welcome to the hotland!

Susan

Oh, and I forgot to say we don't get near as much snow as you do in CO. Sell the ski's unless you plan on going back to CO. to vacation.
I'd guess around 2 feet total a year at most here is all we usually see. Some years a bit more others less. I think that your getting the idea,,,one thing you can't depend on here is the weather,,,haha.,,,,Debbie

Off the topic of gardening a little-
One of the BEST things about OK, in my opinion, is that you can spend 2-300K and a have a WONDERFUL home. I have been here all my life but my family lives from Portland to Mobile, to Gainesville and all will agree OK has a great housing market. checkout the local MLS if you have not already- www.mlsgateway.com
As far as gardening. (You mean some people just dig and plant?? What a thought!!) 88 degrees yesterday and frost tomorrow....Any Questions??

Being from the Rockies myself, I can tell you what you will miss and what you will probably love.

Yes, you will miss skiing, unless you travel back to CO for vacations.

If you get homesick for mountains, go to the SE corner of the state. But don't call them hills until you've made the trip down the east edge of the state. Take a trip down Talahina Drive in the fall when the trees change color or in the spring when so much is in bloom and you'll love the Okie mountains.

There is trout fishing, so maybe you won't miss that. And if you fish and haven't fished for large mouth bass yet, you have some serious excitement waiting for you and the key is the surface lure!

You won't find four distinct seasons here, either, like you do further north. We do the fast forward and retro thing quite frequently so, even though the average frost free date is April 15, figure on setting out warm season plants on May 1, unless you don't mind covering the tender plants. You can push the envelope and plant tropicals in microclimates. The roots of plants like brugmansia (angel trumpet) will overwinter if grown in a flower bed facing the south, mulched, and surounded by concrete and brick.

Spring and fall are definately the best and seem to last forever!

Summers can be hot and droughty or hot and humid, but they are always, at some point, hot. So figure you'll be growing drought resistant plants, setting up rain barrels, and/or having a high water bill and sweating through the water rationing if it should come.

You can grow as much or more fruit here than you can up north and get three crops a year off a garden, which is a vast improvement over the short growing season in the Rockies.

Winter can be boring unless you like to spend time researching and planning your next garden endeavors. Thankfully, real winter here is a blessedly short 3 months or so compared to 6-8 months further north.

You will miss the pristine white snow, but . . .

You won't have to contend with rocky soil in OKC area. You know how in the Rockies you could dig a foot deep hole and end up with a foot tall stack of rocks and a cup of soil? Not a problem with that in OKC! You might find bricks and such nestled in the soil, but not rocks. In fact, you'll either have to have friends bring you rocks to decorate your garden or will pay a pretty penny here for them.

The folks here remind me of folks back home and the frontier spirit is a lot like that of Australians. Some families have lots of relatives in CO, Idaho and CA. Good folks for the most part can be found anywhere, really.

Welcome and good luck!

When you go shopping in Oklahoma, the clerks, waiters, etc., often act like they are your friends. The barrier that everyone in Indiana seemed to have been born with is down, and people are consistently nice.

Something that surprised me living here is that people driving will often stop to let anyone in. If a person is trying to make a left turn coming out of a bank onto a 4 lane road, and you see him from the other direction, you might think he will never get out. But few cars go by until he gets out. As a matter of fact sometimes cars will stop at surprising times to allow a person in. When we lived around Indianapolis, they would never get in. Indiana is a great state, but people are different. (Times have changed too.)

Oklahoma schools in Tulsa and Oklahoma City are some of the best in the country. Many of our kids can go wherever they want to college. Our state does not have a good reputation, and that is not fair. Many cities have wonderful school systems, but statistically there are some areas that must be bringing us down.

(Even in Oklahoma 200K to 300K is a lot of money for a house - speaking for myself).

Sammy

2 to 3 hundred thousand is way above average home price here. I think the average is right around 125,000 and for that you'll get 3 beds, 2 baths, double car garage, fireplace and around 1800 square feet. New construction is, of course, a bit higher. But, by almost anywhere else in the country's standards, 300,000 will buy you an exceptionally fine home here.

We've been in southern Oklahoma for six years now, having moved here after living in Texas all my life.

The people here are wonderful: friendly, kind, caring, compassionate. You won't find better people anywhere.

The weather and soil make gardening a challenge, but every geographic region has its own weather and soil challenges. Our challenge just seems to be a bit more extreme than most. Since we've lived here, we've had a couple of drought years, a couple of normal or average years weatherwise and a year of abnormally cool summer weather and lots of rain last year. You'll never be bored!

The growing season is long, which I love, and the winters are fairly mild.

If I had a chance to move to OKC from anywhere else in the country, I'd take it. I think Oklahoma is one of the USA's best kept secrets, and we shouldn't brag about how much we love living here, or everyone in the country will want to move here. :)

Dawn

Thank you all for your input. We have lived in many different parts of the country, and are looking forward to our stay in OK. We've lived in AZ, so I don't think the heat will bother us, especially if we have access to a pool. :)
Anyone who's lived on the Front Range of CO is no stranger to wind, and extreme temperature changes. Now if the critters don't carry us off, we should be in good shape.

We will probably have to move again after several years. What are the best areas for resale in OKC?

Thanks again for all your input. Looking forward to some new gardening challenges!

Dan

Dan, The heat in AZ is nothing like the heat in OK. Clean dry heat as opposed to sticky humid heat. But I think you'll like it here anyway.

You spoke of critters,,,we have one called a buffalo gnat. When it bites it swells the area into a nice welp. Skin So Soft bath oil by Avon applied while still wet from a shower and pat dry keeps them away.
Also if you buy inscect repellent make sure it has deet in it. Citrinella plant and candles helps some if the wind isnt blowing.
We have ticks and fleas so treat the animals with Frontline or something. I really where I am havent found ticks to be a problem but out in the country they might be.
Houseflies are a pest though and are everywhere!,,,,,Debbie

Boy, we're really making a good case for our state, aren't we? Only the strong survive. :)

Well, we're all still here!

I hope all this talk of pests isn't going to scare away a potential resident...and did anyone mention the skeeters, chiggers or poisonous snakes yet?

Dawn

I'm a transplant from Denver, although by now I've almost lived here as long as I did there. I really like OKC, it has a small town feel and people are very friendly. OKC is MUCH easier to navigate :) and the best part, we really do not have any traffic congestion worth mentioning.

My family gardened in Denver (well, east of Aurora). We dealt with clay and sand there. Here it is red clay (which will stain anything it touches!).

We get better rainfall in OK, but very little snow (I bet in OKC we don't even get a total of 12 inches, and they close down the entire city for an inch!). I rarely wear a coat the entire winter.

We can grow a wide range of plants. We are cold enough that we can grow peonies, yet warm enough that many things will winter over as perennials.

The summers are hot, and a/c is a necessity for all forms of home and transportation!

Welcome to "The City". :)

Lisa

Best areas for resale would be Moore, Norman, far northwest OKC, the Blanchard area (which is really gwrowing) and Edmond.

Well another Coloradoan escaping the north. Welcome to my world I moved down here from Englewood Colorado about 13 some odd years ago and yes there is weather and critters and bugs OH MY !!! LOL but dont let that keep you from comeing down its great. After the first Summer you get thru you will be Aclimitised to the heat yes it can get hot but believe me ya wont melt the roads might but you wont there is nothing like walking down a county asphalt road and feeling your feet sink in with each step and im not kidding :-) My Girlfriend OKIEDEB talked about the Buffalo gnats and I learned about them the hard way when she took me out fishing out at a local Pond I swoll up like I had the Mumps remember one thing ***BUGSPRAY*** if you go out fishing at the lakes in the northern part of the state and well.... any time you go out in the countryside anywhere in this state but to tell the truth it can be just as bad in Colorado depending on where you are at up there so the bottom line is that its a really great place to be and it aint just bugs LOL I have never met more nice people that will help you whenever they can and they will treat you like they have known you for years come on down neighbor