


Okra will be slow to sprout if you do not soak the seed before planting. Soak okra seeds in tepid water several hours before you plant them okra has a hard seed coat.Optimal seed germination will occur when the soil temperature reaches 75☏ pre-warm the soil with black plastic mulch to speed germination.Plant okra in a warm climate when dependable warm weather has arrived.Okra requires warm soil and almost tropical heat for the best growth.Set out or plant okra seed at about the same time as you would watermelon or squash.Yields will decrease when the air temperatures fall below 70☏ (21☌).

Pre-warm the soil ahead of planting with plastic mulch such as black plastic sheeting. Direct sow okra seed in the garden 4 weeks after the average last frost date in spring.Plant okra after all danger of frost has passed in spring and in early summer.
WHEN TO PICK OKRA FULL
Okra is a heat-loving annual plant that requires 55 to 65 frost-free days with temperatures consistently above 85☏ (29☌ for full growth, flowering, and pod development.Good Products for Growing Okra at Amazon: Northerners will find okra difficult to grow. Many southern gardeners plant okra in the flower garden for its beautiful flowers. Okra has prickly stems, large maple-like leaves, and large, yellow flowers with red or purplish centers that closely resemble the hibiscus flower. It grows 4 to 7 feet (1.2-2.1m) tall and produces green and sometimes red seedpods which are harvested when 3 to 5 inches (7-12cm) long shorter is better. To produce the best, crop, however, it wants much summer heat and grows best south of zone 7. Okra is primarily a tropical crop, but it can be grown where cucumbers or tomatoes are hardy. It is grown for the peculiar, mucilaginous taste of its immature pods, commonly called gumbo. Okra is a tender, heat-loving annual best grown in very warm climates.
