One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

One way of making a decision about when it's a good idea to plant okra is to look at the USDA zone info for Papillion.

Planting Calendar for Okra

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

You should not plant okra until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant okra in Papillion 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

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Papillion. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Papillion is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Papillion it frosts late in the year after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your okra in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Papillion

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 Papillion

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