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.

A common way of making a decision about when it's possible to plant okra is to check out the USDA zone info for Zone 13a.

Planting Calendar for Okra

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

Okra do not do well in cold weather which means that you have to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant okra in Zone 13a is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant okra and expect a good harvest is probably November. Any later than that and your okra may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your okra indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 13a it never frosts. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 60°F.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 13a and it changes from year to year. Since it never frosts in Zone 13a you do not have to be ready to cover your okra in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 13a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 13a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	Never
Lowest Expected Low	60°F
Highest Expected Low	65°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 60°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 65°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 13a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 13a.