Q: Your vegetable book says that some gardeners soak okra seeds in pure bleach for five minutes to speed up sprouting time. Won’t that hurt the seed?

A: Like you, I was doubtful so I did a test recently. I did four treatments: seed soaked in bleach for five minutes, seed soaked in bleach for ten minutes, seed soaked overnight in water and no treatment at all. To my surprise, the seeds soaked in bleach and in water sprouted more readily that those given no pretreatment. From now on, my okra seed get an overnight bath before planting!