I would not recommend trying to WS either okra or eggplant. They are both tropical heat loving plants. Direct sowing after frost works for me up north, so should be fine in your zone. Starting indoors under lights is also an option, but I resent 'hardening off' and avoid it whenever possible, so I have not tried it. Maybe another WSer could advise on that point. Two beautiful veggies to grow. Enjoy!!!

I've done both, okra is super easy, eggplant is like peppers in that it is slow to sprout, but sprout it will, you just need a lot patience.

Okra and eggplant come from both tropical and temperate climates. Okra and eggplant are perennial in tropical climates and behave as annuals in temperate zones. Both crop well for me from WS in zone seven, in zone six you can select varieties with short DTMs.

trudi,
I assume even if it was slow sprout, the end result (yield) for both of the veggies was good right? When did you WS okra and eggplant and when did you transplant them?

I usually do warm-season veggies towards end of winter, for me in zone seven that would be middle to end of February or early March, I can transplant after the seedlings are an inch or so tall. However that depends upon if I've gotten the ground prepped sufficiently for transplanting. In my veggie beds I like to dig in some soil amendments like leaves, grass and ferts, then wait a week or two for the ground to settle and cull the weed seedlings. Once that is done then I can transplant. Generally, for the warm season veggies, this would be close to Mother's Day weekend. As you're in a slighter colder zone, you may want to wait until the end of May.

I haven't grown okra, but trudi is right on with the eggplant. In my NYC Zone 6, I sowed eggplant in late March and transplanted 1ý - 2 inch seedlings in late May. I grew mine in a container, they were a mini hybrid, but the yield was prolific, relatively speaking.