When to Plant Okra in California

For okra in California, spring planting starts between Apr 1 (Los Angeles County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Photo: Okra plant with pods. Pallav.journo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Pick a county for okra dates

County

Each county's dates come from its assigned region in the UC Master Gardener table.

Okra plants in a school vegetable garden

Upright okra plant with several green pods against a clear blue sky

Sandy bank of Mirror Lake with granite walls and pines in Yosemite Valley

Published dates for okra in California

Type	Season	Region	Published dates	Source
Okra	spring	Desert Valleys	May	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Okra	spring	Interior Valleys	May	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Okra	spring	North & North Coast	May	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Okra	spring	South Coast	April-May	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)

Planting dates for okra by California county

County	Spring	Summer and fall
Alameda	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Alpine	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Amador	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Butte	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Calaveras	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Colusa	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Contra Costa	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Del Norte	May 1 to May 31	n/a
El Dorado	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Fresno	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Glenn	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Humboldt	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Imperial	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Inyo	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Kern	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Kings	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Lake	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Lassen	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Los Angeles	Apr 1 to May 31	n/a
Madera	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Marin	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Mariposa	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Mendocino	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Merced	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Modoc	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Mono	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Monterey	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Napa	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Nevada	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Orange	Apr 1 to May 31	n/a
Placer	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Plumas	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Riverside	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Sacramento	May 1 to May 31	n/a
San Benito	May 1 to May 31	n/a
San Bernardino	May 1 to May 31	n/a
San Diego	Apr 1 to May 31	n/a
San Francisco	May 1 to May 31	n/a
San Joaquin	May 1 to May 31	n/a
San Luis Obispo	Apr 1 to May 31	n/a
San Mateo	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Santa Barbara	Apr 1 to May 31	n/a
Santa Clara	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Santa Cruz	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Shasta	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Sierra	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Siskiyou	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Solano	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Sonoma	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Stanislaus	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Sutter	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Tehama	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Trinity	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Tulare	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Tuolumne	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Ventura	Apr 1 to May 31	n/a
Yolo	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Yuba	May 1 to May 31	n/a

Other vegetables in California

Tomatoes
Peppers
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Peas
Cucumbers
Squash
Winter Squash
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Eggplant
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Mustard Greens
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Kohlrabi
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Asparagus
Rutabagas
Parsley

More planting dates for California

Planting dates for each crop in California, from the UC Master Gardener Program calendar.

Tomatoes

Peppers

Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Green Beans

Cucumbers

Squash

Lettuce

Planting okra in California: questions

When do you plant okra in California?

For okra in California, spring planting starts between Apr 1 (Los Angeles County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Can I plant okra in the fall in California?

The UC Master Gardener Program calendar used here lists no fall window for okra.

Does the frost date matter for okra?

The windows above already account for frost as the publication describes. Check the California frost dates page for your county’s risk.

Where do these dates for okra come from?

California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2 Time of planting (UC Master Gardener Program statewide page; table 'Recommended planting dates', source: California Master Gardener Handbook, Table 13.2).

Are the dates the same across the state?

Counties are matched to one of the four UC regions, and the region sets the dates.

Photos: Okra plant with pods: Pallav.journo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Garden with okra plants: Kenogenic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Okra plants in a school vegetable garden: Leonora (Ellie) Enking from East Preston, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Upright okra plant with several green pods against a clear blue sky: Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Sandy bank of Mirror Lake with granite walls and pines in Yosemite Valley: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pile of ripe tomatoes: Jubair Bin Iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pepper plant in a kitchen garden loaded with green, yellow and red peppers: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Potato plants growing in a home garden: Geo Lightspeed7, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rows of sweet corn in a field: Wee Hong, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine: Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cucumber vines climbing a wooden trellis in a kitchen garden: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Squash plant with yellow blossoms and spreading stems in a straw-mulched garden: Mary O'Neill, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Green and red leaf lettuce heads growing along drip lines in a garden bed: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 US, via Wikimedia Commons.