As more gardeners discover that they really like okra, the range
of this warm-natured hibiscus cousin is steadily edging
northward. Okra requires warm weather, but by using seedlings,
you can shave 3 weeks or more from its usual long season. As
long as okra seedlings are handled gently, as if they were
breakable eggs, they can be slipped into the garden – or into
large containers – just as the hot season begins. Choose your
sunniest spot for okra, and wait until the weather is warm to
set out your plants. Plants like it when nights are at least in
the 60s and days 85 or warmer. In the North, gardeners might
wait until late June to plant, since pods appear within 2
months. Okra grows best in soil with a near-neutral pH between
6.5 and 7.0, although it will do fine in a pH as high as 7.6.
Plants benefit from a generous amount of compost or other rich
organic matter, which should be thoroughly mixed into the soil
before planting. If your soil is not rich, you can work bagged
organic fertilizer or slow-release co