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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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I want to start planting okra by mid feb 2015,so that by mid april I will harvest it.Wat Can I do?
Any time between late spring and mid summer, depending where you are. To make it less confusing, there are two simple things okra requires: heat and water. Provide it with that and it will explode with growth. Remember to water routingly for the first 3 weeks at most every other day depending on temp. for a good healthy start and keep in mind it gets big! I recommend to plant dwarf varieties, but even those get big, had one at around 8ft one hot summer. Good luck!
Hi there . Could anyone reply please . I'm growing okra in high drop system green house .where there water running 24 hrs as we have half green house tomatoes.Is that right ?? ? Or how much water & feed need to okra plants ??
Thanks
is it okey if we plant okra during rainy season?
Though okra is quite adaptable, you should avoid planting okra during heavy rain. The crop needs well-drained soil and water logging should be avoided.
I hav some okra plants...i left it on the seed tray for too long. Will they transplant well. If they do transplant well will they hav a normal life just like any other plant or will they suffer
Okra seedlings do not transplant well. We tend to sow directly into the garden. If you do start indoors, it's best to use peat pots and plant two seeds per pot. Once they germinate, you can thin down to one plant per pot. The timing is 6 to 8 weeks from sowing indoors to setting outdoors.
When my okra plants got to be five feet tall or so, they began to produce new shoots along the stem. Since my plants grew to over eight feet and eventually toppled, is it useful to cut the main stem, at, say, four feet to force the growth of the side shoots? I'm hoping this will produce more okra per plant, because of more pod-producing stems, and at the same time make the plants less vulnerable to wind and the pods easier to harvest.
Yes, you can cut the tops off to get a bushier plant. Please see the answer to the pruning question below.
I have recently moved to East Texas. I've planted okra for years. This years garden was a first time area. I was later than normal getting my seeds in the ground. I planted Crimson spineless 80. I thinned to about 3' apart. My tallest plant comes in at 14' tall. All are at least 10' to 12' and producing well. I'm getting over a gallon each day from two 35' rows. Question being. I was thinking about topping it next year to make harvesting easier. When should this be done, or should you do it at all.
Thanks,
Danny in East Texas.
