One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your 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.

It's possible to figure out when it's a good idea to plant okra by looking at the USDA zone info for Meridian.

Planting Calendar for Okra

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

Since okra do not do well in cold weather you must wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant okra in Meridian 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

On average the last frost is on March 15 in Meridian. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Meridian is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Meridian there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your okra if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Meridian

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

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

Plants to Grow in Meridian

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