I think Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion, ME, has a shorter season okra (many of their varieties are specifically bred for shorter season growing) so you could check their website for info and/or seeds next season. I know my sister has successfully grown it in Wisconsin where her season isn't much different than mine.

Umm, okra is one of my favorite things from the garden, but I'm in a different world than you (the South). Here, okra would be producing by early July usually and weather permitting (ie rain), would continue till October probably, though slowing as it cools.

Bearing in mind it can't be planted till the ground warms, usually we don't get it in the ground till early May. So, with our growing conditions (warmer) it takes about 75-90 days for first production. Does that help?

That's about what I remember from growing it in Georgia. That and the fact that if you wait one day to pick it then it seems to triple in size! 90 days up here is really cutting it so close and it loves heat. Anything that produces in July in the south is a heat-lover. But, 75 days is earlier than I'd expected. I had forgotten the soil needs to be warm. Helpful and important thing to remember when we start seeds next year.

Thanks for the tip on Johnny's. I hadn't even thought of checking them because okra is not a typical New England plant. They have a variety that matures in 50 days. JACKPOT! THANK YOU!

P.S. Somebody up here once asked me how to make New Orleans Gumbo. I said, "Well, first you have to have okra." They responded, "What's okra?" When we moved to Alabama nobody had ever heard of Rhubarb, either. So nice that the grocery stores are full of atypical things now.

Oh god, the only way to eat okra is fried...that is the most minimal slime factor ;0

An old Alabaman I used to know boiled it with fresh tomatoes since they came into season together. SLICKERY SLIMERY right down the throat. A relic of the days you ate out of the garden and were glad for a harvest.

My kids love fried okra, too, partly because I called it candy when they were little. I'm not above a little propaganda now and then.

I've been growing okra the past couple seasons and it's very easy. Plant seed in garden last week of May to first week of June since okra likes warmth. No pest issues. I select a seed pack which requires a shorter growing season. I'm the only one in the house to eat it due to the slime factor.

Timbz6, my problem may be the "warmth" part. While I am supposed to be a zone 6, although people here plan for zone 5, we are coastal. That means our winters are tempered, hence the zone 6 assignment, but summer comes late. We were all still wearing sweaters in June. This year summer was really reluctant to start and it was rainy and cold right up to the end of June. I'm not sure when the soil warmed up, but I'm weeks behind other gardeners based on the pictures from garden tours. And, my house is in a cold microclimate compared to the rest of the peninsula so I'm in the cold of the cold area. My garden is already behind the rest of the peninsula as far as bloom time, too.

Your recommendation is helpful, though. If I can have mine started indoors with your timetable it looks like we'll have okra to eat. Did your okra go from perfect picking sized to overgrown seemingly overnight? I'm wondering if the cooler weather up here slows that process down. Down south you had to stay on top of picking daily to pick it at its best time.

deannatoby, growing under spunbond row cover on relatively high hoops until they start flowering may help. The row cover breathes, but also keeps the air several degrees warmer than surroundings, both during the day and at night, so it might help get the crop ready sooner and producing for longer. On hot days you could leave the cover off.

I can't comment on growing okra in New England, as I have not tried it. However, I do know that most Indian grocery stores carry fresh good quality Okra year round. I personally shop at the one on Moody St. in Waltham (Patel Brothers).

Thanks for the tip. No Indian grocery stores for a good radius around me, but I'll remember that when head to more civilized areas.