The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's a good idea to determine when you can plant okra by referring to the USDA zone info for Merrillville.

Planting Calendar for Okra

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

Since okra do not do well in cold weather you need to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant okra in Merrillville 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 fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your okra indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Merrillville. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Merrillville may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Merrillville you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your okra in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Merrillville

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 Merrillville

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