Crop guide
Growing okra
Growing okra means matching type, timing, and spacing on the cited sheets. There is no single national planting date.
Growing guidance is general information. Timing, spacing, and care depend on cultivar, weather, soil, and local conditions. Check the sources and adjust the plan for your garden.
Steps (range, not a promise)
- 01Know the type on the cited sheet. Warm-season notes stay source-specific.
- 02Plant on the cited sheet’s timing. Regional dates stay on their own cards.
- 03Use in-row depth and spacing from one cited source.
- 04Log the bed so next season is not a guess.
Illustrative photograph — types, timing, and spacing stay on the cited sheets.
The season, on your ground
Save this bed — freeWhen to plantCareWhen to harvestGarden pests
What the sources say — at a glance
One source per card. Facts are not averaged.
Clemson HGIC 1313 (South Carolina)
Abelmoschus esculentus. Warm-season. 75–90 °F. Soil 70–95 °F (min 65 °F at 4 in). Rows 3–6 ft. 9–12 in.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Clemson HGIC 1313 (South Carolina): okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a warm-season annual vegetable. Best temperatures 75 to 90 °F. Type notes — not a cultivar mill.
Timing
Clemson HGIC 1313 (South Carolina): warm-season. Optimal soil temperature for planting 70 to 95 °F (minimum 65 °F at 4-inch depth). Timing on their sheet — not a national plant date.
Spacing
Clemson HGIC 1313 (South Carolina): rows 3 to 6 feet apart. Plants 9 to 12 inches apart. Planting depth ¾ inch. Spacing on their sheet — not a BioArva average.
Limit
South Carolina HGIC 1313. Warm-season wording and 9–12 in stay Clemson. Not fertilizer.
Maryland Extension (Maryland)
Very tender annual. Frost injures top growth (attributed). Soil 65 °F. 2–3 weeks after last frost. 12–18 in × 36–48 in.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Maryland Extension (Maryland): very tender annual. Frost will injure top growth (attributed). Needs warm weather to grow. Type notes — not a mill. Maryland’s attributed frost wording — not a planting-safety promise.
Timing
Maryland Extension (Maryland): sow seed outdoors after the soil has warmed to 65 °F (2 to 3 weeks after the last frost). Maryland timing — not a national plant date.
Spacing
Maryland Extension (Maryland): spacing 12 to 18 inches in-row by 36 to 48 inches between rows. Spacing on their sheet — not a BioArva average.
Limit
Maryland okra garden page. Very-tender wording and 12–18 in stay Maryland. Not fertilizer.
UMN Extension (Minnesota)
Start okra indoors in mid-March. Minnesota timing — not a national plant date. No UMN spacing KEEP.
Details and limits (2)
Timing
UMN Extension (Minnesota): start okra indoors in mid-March. Minnesota timing — not a national plant date.
Limit
Minnesota planting-the-vegetable-garden page. Mid-March indoor start stays Minnesota. Not fertilizer.
Illinois Extension (Illinois)
Warm-season annual. After soil warmed. Week to 10 days after last frost. 1 in deep. Hills 12–24 in. Thin at 3 in.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Illinois Extension (Illinois): okra is a tall-growing, warm-season annual vegetable. Type notes — not a mill.
Timing
Illinois Extension (Illinois): sow seeds after the soil has warmed in the spring, probably a week to 10 days after the date of the last frost. Illinois timing — not a national plant date. Illinois’s attributed frost-date wording — not a planting-safety promise.
Spacing
Illinois Extension (Illinois): sow seeds 1 inch deep in hills 12 to 24 inches apart. When the seedlings are 3 inches tall, thin all but the one strongest plant per hill. Spacing on their sheet — not a BioArva average.
Limit
Illinois okra page. Warm-season wording and 12–24 in hills stay Illinois. Not fertilizer.
Make it yours
Save the bed in the Field Book so next season is not a guess.
Sources differ
When do you plant okra?
Compare timing on the cited sheets. Clemson HGIC 1313 (South Carolina): warm-season, soil 70 to 95 °F. Maryland: after the soil has warmed to 65 °F. Minnesota: start indoors in mid-March. Illinois: after the soil has warmed, a week to 10 days after the last frost. Not a national plant date.
How far apart do you plant okra?
The sheets do not agree on one grid. Clemson: rows 3 to 6 feet, plants 9 to 12 inches. Maryland: 12 to 18 inches in-row by 36 to 48 inches between rows. Illinois: hills 12 to 24 inches. Minnesota has no spacing KEEP on this page.
What to record in the Field Book
Save the bed with the crop and the date. You may add a photo and notes. Compare entries you have recorded with each other — not with a diagnosis from this page. If you want an identification, bring the record to local Extension.
Verified suppliers only
No supplier on this page
When a partner is listed, it will be outbound and disclosed. Nothing to buy here. Fertilizer, soils, and pesticides stay off this slot.
How we know — methodology. Ranges and assertions are cited per source, not blended.