How to Grow Okra

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Love the taste of fresh okra? Learn how to grow okra in your raised beds or backyard garden. It’s a heat-loving plant that thrives in the hot summer sun. So it grows really well here in the south. But, it can be grown further north too.

Okra can be grown from direct sow or transplanted either one. So depending on what region you live in, you can still enjoy the fresh taste of homegrown okra.

And since it loves the hot summer sun and can even withstand some drought, it’s a perfect annual vegetable for beginners or experienced gardeners alike.

How to Grow Okra

When to Plant

If planting seeds outdoors, they should be planted well after the threat of frost and soil temperatures are above 80° for seed germination.

Here in the south, we direct sow seeds mid-May and harvest all summer, but if you live in a shorter growing season, seeds can be started indoors 6 weeks prior to your last frost date and then transplanted in the garden once the soil warms.

NOTE: Before transplanting seedlings, make sure the weather is stable and warm. Okra does not take cold temperatures at all.

If you use cold frames or grow tunnels instead of starting seeds indoors, Okra seeds can be started 4 weeks prior to the last frost and then transplanted outdoors once temperatures are stable.

PLANTING TIP: Okra seeds have a really hard shell. So, whichever way you choose to start them, a good tip for speeding germination is to soak seeds overnight in water and score them with a sharp knife before putting them into the soil.

RELATED: Even if you’ve never gardened before, this Vegetable Gardening for Beginners Ultimate Guide is for you! Learn everything you need to know from over 60 resources, all in one place, to be a successful gardener, including improving soil, cover crops, warm and cool season crops, organic amendments, fertilizing, watering, and so much more.

How To plant

DIRECT SOW:

• Okra grows best in rich garden soil with a neutral pH of 6.5 – 7.0.
• If direct sowing seeds into garden soil, plant seeds 1/2 – 1 inch deep 12-18 inches apart.
• Rows should be planted 3-4 feet apart.

This is because okra plants are huge and can stretch to as much as 3 feet wide.

To make the most of the space you have, before you begin, create a garden map to maximize your space. Spacing, rotation, succession planting and more!

TRANSPLANTS:

• When planting into the soil, plant each plant at a depth of the soil on the root ball of the container – NO DEEPER.
• Place plants in rows that are 3- 4 feet apart
• Plants should be placed 12 – 18 inches apart to give them room to stretch and grow

Depending on the variety, okra grows 2 – 6 feet tall and continues to grow as long as it’s harvested. So spacing is important when planting.

RELATED: Take the guesswork out! Use the easy formula worksheets in The Canning Garden Workbook (printable) to figure out how much to plant, for canning, to feed your family for a full year!

Fertilizing

Growing okra is not difficult. It’s not really picky about the soil and will grow ok in a soil pH of 6.5 – 7.0. To help it along, use a side dress of rich compost or organic mulch. The mulch will help to keep the soil moist and also help control weeds.

And if your soil is not ideal, using a rich fish emulsion every 4 weeks is a great fertilizer to use. It will not only boost the size of the plant but also make it produce better.

I use Neptune Emulsion – it’s higher in nitrogen and phosphorus, so the foliage is healthy and green. I really like the results I get with this brand.

Watering

Though okra can withstand some dry spells, it does require water to produce. The best time to water any vegetable is early in the morning before the sun rises. Being careful not to wet the leaves.

Once the sun rises, if the leaves are too wet, they can be burned by the hot sun really quickly.

On average, okra needs at least 1 inch of water per week. If you experience heavy rains, of course, watering can be skipped. But here in Tennessee, we are normally in a drought by the time the okra is growing, so watering is important.

I use this raised bed irrigation system. It has been a lifesaver for me. I can set the timer for really early in the morning and have it automatically shut off when the soil is nice and moist.

But be sure not to water too much. Standing water can cause the large okra stems to rot at ground level.

Harvesting

I always get excited about this part. After planting and caring for, harvest time is finally here! Okra will flower with these large yellow blooms that produce okra pods that are 2-5 inches long, depending on the variety.

Pollinators love the bright yellow blooms too. So your vegetable garden benefits when attracting pollinators.

To make okra produce more, harvest it every 2-3 days, and it will continue to produce right up until frost. At which time it will be killed.

WARNING: Okra is covered in these tiny prickly hairy spines. Some people develop a rash when handling it. So when harvesting okra, I wear these leather garden gloves. I used to wear out the cloth garden gloves too quickly, but the leather ones have lasted over 2 years and are still strong. I also wear long sleeves to protect my arms.

With a sharp knife, cut pods that are 2-4 inches long off at the cap. If it’s hard to cut with a knife, most likely it is probably too old and had gotten hard.

No worries, though! If you are using heirloom seeds, removed these pods and allow them to dry for seed next season.

Pests and Disease

Okra is not bothered too much by garden pests, but there are a few:

• Aphids
• Corn Earworms
• Cabbage Worms
• Stink Bugs

Diseases that can affect okra are:

• Fusarium Wilt
• Powdery Mildew
• Enation Leaf Curl
• Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (YVMV)

But of course, if your plants are well fertilized and you are providing good healthy soil, okra plants will pretty much take care of both. Neither pests nor diseases can thrive when plants are healthy and strong.

To learn more about these diseases and how to treat them, this article from Plant Village is really helpful.

Beneficial Companions

The good news, since we just covered the pests and diseases, is that okra has some really easy-to-grow companions that will help to ward off pests.

• Growing sweet peppers near them helps to repel cabbage worms
• Tomatoes and Green Beans will draw stink bugs away from plants
• Cucumbers are just a good companion, but they really don’t help with pests

Okra plants will benefit both lettuce and green peas. Interplant these in the rows; they will benefit from the shade, and you can extend their growth time.

Don’t worry; these are both cool-season crops, so they will be harvested and gone before it’s time to harvest okra.

Sunflowers are also good companions for okra, and the birds will enjoy feeding on the seeds in the fall.

So with all these companions, you can create a bit of natural wildlife habitat in your garden.

Storing

• To store okra in the refrigerator, wrap it in a damp towel and place it in a paper bag. Then keep it in the vegetable drawer.
• Okra will store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

For longer storage, okra can be frozen. Trim off both cap and tip end, cut into 1/4 slices and put into Ziploc bags, and remove as much air as possible without crushing okra.

Or, I use this FoodSaver vacuum seal – I love this thing! Foods last even longer in the freezer since they are sealed airtight.

Okra will store in the freezer for up to 2 years, with a FoodSaver for 4-5 years.

Related: Learn more about freezing with my Quick Start Guide to freezing Food at Home

Cooking okra is easier than ever too. Use this oven fried recipe that is basically hands off cooking. And then freezing okra can be done with 4 simple steps!

So tell me, will you be planting okra this year in your garden?

More Gardening Tips

• How to Grow Carrots
• How to Grow Broccoli
• Growing Cabbage – Everything You Need To Know

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