One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of figuring out when to plant okra is to use the USDA zone info for Shenandoah.

Planting Calendar for Okra

Frost tolerance for okra:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's probably not a good idea to plant okra until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant okra in Shenandoah is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant okra and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your okra may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your okra indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Shenandoah. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Shenandoah is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Shenandoah you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your okra if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Shenandoah

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Shenandoah

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Shenandoah.