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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Okra
Okra thrives in warm weather and is traditionally grown in the southern U.S., though there are varieties for northern growers, too. Once it鈥檚 harvest season, pick the pods every day so it doesn鈥檛 get overripe and tough. See how to plant, grow, and harvest okra.
About Okra
Many gardeners are discovering okra, and the range of this warm-weather crop has been creeping northward and gaining in popularity. This plant not only grows edible vegetables and beautiful flowers, but it is also rich in vitamin A and low in calories, which makes it a great addition to your diet.
If you look at the flower of okra, you鈥檒l see a resemblance to a hibiscus flower. It鈥檚 no coincidence鈥攐kra is a member of the hibiscus family!
Growing
- Eliminate weeds when the plants are young, then mulch heavily鈥4 to 8 inches鈥攖o prevent more weeds.
- During the growing season, recommends that you 鈥渃ultivate around the okra plants to remove weeds and grass. To avoid damaging the okra roots, pull weeds close to the plants by hand.鈥
- Side-dress the plants with 10-10-10, aged manure, or rich compost (1/2 pound per 25 feet of row). You could also apply a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly. Avoid too much nitrogen, which deters flowering and encourages leafy growth. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
- When the seedlings are about 3 inches tall, thin the plants so that they are 18 to 24 inches apart.
- Keep the plants well watered throughout the summer months. One inch of water per week is ideal, but use more if you are in a hot, arid region.
- High heat can slow the growth of okra.
- Prune the tops of okra plants when they reach 5 to 6 feet tall. This will result in more side branches. Prune those as needed.
- In warm regions, some growers cut plants to about 2 feet when productivity slows in summer. The plants grow back and produce another crop of okra.
Photo credit: Chunumunu/GettyImages
Note: Okra has large, hairy leaves, as well as tiny spines on its pods, both of which may cause skin irritation; consider wearing gloves and/or long sleeves when handling. 鈥淪pineless鈥 types have pods that don鈥檛 present this problem. Regardless of type, irritation does not occur when you eat okra.
Harvesting
When you harvest okra, get out the gloves and wear a long-sleeved shirt to protect yourself from the tiny spines that can make your hands and arms itch for days.
- Once okra is ripe, harvest every day! The pods grow so fast and ripen within a day, so you need to pick continually. Overripe okra is too tough to eat.
- The best pods are only 2 to 4 inches long. This is when okra is at its softest and most digestible.
- Cut the stem just above the cap with a knife. If the stem is too hard to cut, the pod is probably too old and should be tossed.
- Only one pod grows beneath each leaf, so break off the leaf after harvesting the pod.
- Harvest often: The more you pick, the more flowers will appear, and okra goes from flowering to fruit in a few days.
- A severe freeze can damage pods. If one is predicted and pods are drying on the plant for seeds, cut the plant and hang it indoors to dry. Put a paper bag over it so if the pods shatter, the seeds will not be lost.
In the South, regular okra plants can get too tall to harvest; if this happens, cut them back to 12 to 18 inches above the ground. This is usually done in July or August. The plants will sprout again to make a second crop. Otherwise, consider a dwarf variety!
How to Store Okra
- To store okra, put the uncut and uncooked pods into freezer bags and keep them in the freezer. Or wash and blanch okra before freezing.
- Or, can okra to have it throughout the winter.
Cooking Notes
Okra can be consumed in a number of ways鈥攂readed and deep-fried, pickled, stewed (in Indian cuisine), air-fried (a reader favorite), and even raw in the field! Of course, the most famous okra dish is probably gumbo.
For a nice stewy dish, simmer fresh tomatoes and onions and perhaps some pre-fried bacon pieces. Add chopped okra. On the stove, cook for 25 minutes, and the soft insides of okra will help create a nice thick, savory broth to serve over rice.
Or, try roasting okra to bring out its natural nuttiness. Just remove the cap, split lengthwise, and roast on a baking sheet for 25 minutes; we cover with aluminum foil for the first half of cooking.
Catherine Boeckmann
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What if my okra flower fails o mature into pods and fall down those the plant have any deficiency or any disease
i got the seeds at home depot.
this is my first time growing okra. i have one plant in growing in a container on my terrace. i got about 1/2 lb of okra every other day in the beginning of the season. now i get an okra a day.
i make mine into a dry curry. i don't like slime either! if you cut into your okra when it is totally dry it will not become slimy. also cook in oil before adding any other liquid, that also keeps slimming at bay
only problem i am having with my okra is now it is about 7 feet tall. the leaves are not as large and are sort of scrawny. should i have pruned the top when it was about 4 foot tall so it would have branched out? i plan to bring the pot indoors for the winter and see how it does under a grow light!
You can prune the tops of okra plants. This will cause more side branches to grow and you may need to prune some of the side brances as well. Some gardeners cut the plants to about 2 feet after they have slowed down producing pods
Where can I buy Cajun delight okra seed?
thanks for this page coz i can used this post to applied it on my studies especially my garden....
I have been raising okra since I was old enough to garden with my dad, in the forties. Clemson spineless has always grown tall and very productive in TX. This year we had an abundance of rain and instead of being tall it is about 4 ft tall and very thick and not many pods. About six plants that were smaller when it rained are growing and producing like they should. Should I thin those that are very thick and not putting on pods, and how much? At the rate these are making I don't see it hurting much.
How likely is it that I will get okra plants to grow by buying okra from the supermarket and planting the seeds? Do the seeds have to be dry and hard? Supermarket okra are soft and supple. Can I wait for the okra pods to dry and shrivel up to get good seeds to plant?
Some people have had success growing okra from the supermarket--it might depend on the variety and any treatment the pods went through before they reached the market. Hybrid varieties will not come true to seed. If saving seed, dry the pod thoroughly--seeds should be dry and hard.
We usually have a bit of trouble with okra, but this year, the crop is really good. There is a "mess" every day. I love okra. It is Nature's little laxative!
Have you noticed that the leaves of the okra plant follow the sun in its paths across the sky each day? This is a phenomenon call heliotropism or phototropism. Some plants do this; the most well-known of which is the daylily, whose flowers last only one day.
P.S. NEVER cut okra into pieces to cook it. Always cook it whole, with the stem still attached. It will not release its mucous nearly as much that way. NEVER NEVER put tomato or vinegar in the pot with okra. Spoils it.
I LOVE the slime okra puts off! It's great in stewed tomatoes. Just ate some in fact :)
