One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can estimate when it's a good idea to plant okra in Portland by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Okra

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

Since okra require warm weather it is important to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant okra in Portland 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your okra may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your okra indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Portland is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Portland last frost occurs after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your okra if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Portland

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 Portland

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