The Revolutionary Garden

Up until a few weeks ago, our spring had been pretty cool so I put off getting my okra seeds started. Then I forgot about it and now I worry that I am too late to plant some okra! I've never grown it before but I know they are sun and heat lovers. I should have enough of that, but I worry that since it can take 3 months for them to fruit I've missed out on peak growing time.

I'm still going to try, but is there anything I should do to help speed it along? I'm soaking the seeds right now. I've seen that some people scrap the outer shell with sandpaper, anyone have experience doing this? I plan to plant these in deep 5 gal buckets so I can ensure they can always be in the sunniest spot. Any other ideas?!