Best time to plant okra in Australia
Abelmoschus esculentus
Also called lady's fingers
Okra, sometimes called lady's fingers, belongs to the mallow family and comes from West Africa, with cotton and hibiscus among its relatives. Its edible seed pods are usually green, though some cultivars have red pods, and each one has a five-sided cross-section when cut.
On a shared plot: suits a plot
Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.
When to sow
| Zone | Months | How well checked |
|---|---|---|
| Cool | Oct to Dec | Matches local guides |
| Temperate | Sep to Dec | Not yet checked against a local guide |
| Subtropical | Aug to Feb | Matches local guides |
| Tropical | All year | Broadly matches local guides, with some differences |
| Arid | Sep to Dec | Broadly matches local guides, with some differences |
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Growing details
- How to start
- Sow directly or raise seedlings
- Sowing depth
- 2.5cm
- Plant spacing
- 30cm
- Row spacing
- 60cm
- Height
- 100cm
- Germination
- About 14 days
- Time to harvest
- 55 days from sowing
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- perennial, grown as an annual in cool climates
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.