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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 live in Bosplaas south africa
I grow Okra been exposed to several recipes
Because I love it fried let me share this simple spinash one
Fry finely chopped onion until brown and tender
Add sliced Okra into the pan close
Then shreds spinach throw in to he mix
Add 1/4 cup of full cream milk with 6 spoons of cream of mushroom
Leave to simmer
Question...if I move my okra plants indoors and put them under t5 grow lights for the winter, should I cut them back? How much ? Allow them to flower and attempt "being the bee" to accomplish indoor pollination ? I adore the flowers, so it is not critical to try to pollinate the flowers to get fruit, should any flowers appear during the short winter days. Any advice would be appreciated on indoor overwintering of okra. TY :)
I lost the bookmark to this page when my laptop crashed...ooops. Ok, I brought the okra plants indoors, waited a few weeks to top them, and babied them. I got lots more flowers, a handful of fresh okras (I'm a pretty good bee) and then the plant stem withered and it died. It was a fun experiment despite the grim ending. Zone 5a upstate NY.
Hi, Jackie, We can not find a lot of enthusiasm for overwintering okra…but we say, try it and see what happens! Gardening is an experiment and pushing the envelope makes it fun. We would suggest cutting back too much because when you take it in, it will need to adjust to the new environment, so let it do so with most of its strength. If it has to adjust to a pruning, too, it might weaken. We hoe you get some pleasurable days from your okra!
Please what are some of the nutrient requirements for okro
I live in Corpus Christi, Tx and have fall garden every fall. Planted okra two wks ago and its dead already. Watered lightly each morning and has plenty of sun. I planted eggplant right next to it, and its doing fine. Any Advice would be appreciated.
Hi Jeff,
It’s tough to be sure about the reason for its demise. Sometimes the reason plants fail has more to do with how they were treated before they ended up in your hands. With regard to watering, however, it is always best to give plants a good deep soaking and then let them almost dry out before watering again. It could be that your lighting watering applications evaporated before reaching the roots, or the okra lost the competition for the sparse resource to the eggplant.
Can Okra too big and hard to boil be soaked in water and then fried? or is there a way to make use of Okra too big and hard to boil
If okra pods become too large, they’ll get very woody and hard. When this happens, it is mostly unsatisfying to eat. Some people instead let the pods dry out and use them in floral arrangements, or they save the seeds for next year. If the pods aren’t too woody, you can try cutting them up in large pieces and boiling them in a soup, then straining out the tough parts (some of the interior that is still soft may flavor the soup).
Please can you help me in locating any seed company where I can procure Okra Prelude?
Thanks.
Ayo Ogungbuyi
