Okra isn’t just for gumbo anymore! This Southern staple is showing up in gardens everywhere, and for good reason. It’s easy to grow, fun to harvest, and comes with tropical-looking flowers that would make a hibiscus blush.
Whether you’re a seasoned grower or okra-curious, we’ve got all the tips to help you grow it like a garden rockstar. Let’s get planting!
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.
Growing
- Eliminate weeds when the plants are young, then mulch heavily—4 to 8 inches—to prevent more weeds.
- During the growing season, Joseph Masabni of Texas A&M recommends that you “cultivate around the okra plants to remove weeds and grass. To avoid damaging the okra roots, pull weeds close to the plants by hand.”
- 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.
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. “Spineless” types have pods that don’t 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.
Types
Standard varieties can top 8 feet or more! Dwarf types, which seldom exceed 5 feet in height, are best for containers.
- ‘Blondy’: spineless; dwarf at 3 feet tall; 3-inch pale green pods; ideal for northern growers
- ‘Burgundy’: abundant 6- to 8-inch pods (harvest at 3 inches) on 3- to 5-foot-tall plants; edible ornamental, with deep red stem, branches, leaf ribs, and fruit
- ‘Cajun Jewel’: dwarf at 2 1/2 to 4 feet tall; tasty 8-inch pods up to 1 inch in diameter
- ‘Clemson Spineless’: tasty 6 1/2-inch to 9-inch pods on 4-foot tall plants
- ‘Louisiana Green Velvet’: spineless; vigorous to 6 feet tall; good for large areas
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Comments
Hot temperatures can cause okra to slow down a bit, although they like warmth. Hot temperatures also can affect flowering. Avoid too much nitrogen, which can deter flowering, encouraging leafy growth instead. As far as pruning the side branches, we'd suggest keeping the branches intact until there are signs of flowering/pod formation. If they are just beginning to branch out, the next step might be to flower. Make sure that your plants have adequate spacing so that they can soak up that sun.
One of the main causes for brown discoloration and wilted leaves in okra plants is Fusarium wilt. Fusarium wilt is a soilborne fungus that could have been transmitted by the natural soil that you included in the raised bed. An easy way to confirm Fusarium wilt is to cut and peel back a small section of the bark on the main stem close to the soil line. If this shows brown discoloration inside the stem, the okra has been infected with Fusarium wilt. Unfortunately, this cannot be treated. Do not use this soil with other plants that are not resistant to Fusarium wilt. Another possible culprit is the Japanese beetle, which could be eating holes in the leaves and making them appear skeletonized. Diseased plants are especially vulnerable to Japanese beetles, so both could be occurring simultaneously. Look to our pest page on Japanese beetles for tips on how to control them organically.
Hi, Jeff: Although it is possible to grow okra and peppers (in general) with seeds direct from the fruit, it is usually best to dry them, since the state of being dry sometimes sends a signal to the seed that it is now OK to germinate. The more important question is whether the okra and peppers are fully mature (i.e., no green peppers) to allow for maximum seed development. Thanks for asking!
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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).