How to grow Okra

Where to plant

Okra needs full sun and warm soil, growing best when soil stays above about 65°F. It does well in almost any well-drained soil, ideally fertile sandy loam with a pH of 6 to 7, but does not tolerate wet ground. It is very heat tolerant and thrives in hot, humid Southern summers.

Plants usually grow 3 to 6 feet tall with a 2 to 4-foot spread, so place them where they will not shade shorter crops.

• Florida: plant once nights are in the mid-50s. UF/IFAS lists late March to July in North Florida, February to August in Central Florida, and January to March and August to October in South Florida, where okra grows nearly year-round.
• The Gulf South, Texas, the Desert Southwest, the Mid-South and the Southern Plains: sow from late spring through midsummer; a second sowing in early summer extends the harvest.
• The Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Mountain West and Northern Plains: sow 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost, once the soil is warm, or start seed indoors 4 to 5 weeks earlier. Choose compact, early varieties such as 'Annie Oakley II'.
• The Pacific Northwest and Alaska: summers are usually too cool for good crops.

Choosing a variety

UF/IFAS suggests 'Clemson Spineless', 'Emerald', 'Annie Oakley II', 'Cajun Delight' and 'North and South' for Florida. 'Annie Oakley II' is a compact hybrid that Utah State notes does well in cooler, short seasons. Red-podded types such as 'Burgundy' are also ornamental.

How to plant

1. Soak seed in water for 6 hours or overnight before sowing to improve germination.
2. Sow about 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart once the soil is warm, in rows about 3 feet apart.
3. Thin to 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on variety, once seedlings have their first true leaves.
4. In short-season areas, start seed indoors 4 to 5 weeks before planting out, and use black plastic mulch to warm the soil.

Watering and feeding

Okra tolerates dry spells, but regular watering gives much better yields. Utah State suggests 1.5 to 2 inches every 7 to 10 days. Water in the morning so leaves dry by night; drip or soaker hoses work well.

Work fertilizer or compost into the bed before planting according to a soil test, then side-dress with a little nitrogen once pods start forming and again four weeks later. Too much nitrogen early gives leaves instead of pods.

Pruning and care through the year

• Keep weeds down while plants are young; the canopy shades out weeds later. Cultivate shallowly.
• Okra is highly susceptible to root-knot nematodes, so rotate it and avoid sandy beds where nematodes were a problem.
• When plants grow too tall to pick, many Florida gardeners simply sow a new row and pull the old one.
• The leaves and pods have fine hairs that irritate some people's skin; wear gloves and long sleeves when picking.

Harvesting

Pods form within a few days of flowering. Pick them while young and tender, about 2 to 4 inches long, every one or two days; older pods quickly turn tough and stringy. Cut the stem with a knife or snap the pod downward, taking care not to break the brittle branches.

Keep picking: plants produce until frost as long as pods are not left to mature.