How to Grow Okra

Okra is a tall-growing, warm-season annual vegetable from North Africa. This heat-craving vegetable is also widely cultivated in the Southern United States and in the West Indies. It produces long green pods which are enjoyed as delicacies in soups and stews, or as fried or canned vegetables.

Required Materials

• okra plants or seeds
• compost
• fertilizers
• mulch
• garden trowels
• garden shovels
• floating row covers
• bypass pruners

Steps to Grow Okra

1. Since okra craves heat, choose a garden plot with full sunlight.
2. Ensure that the soil is rich and well drained. The ground should have temperatures ranging between 75 to 90° Fahrenheit. Okra grows best in soil with pH values ranging from 6.5 to 7.5.
3. Prepare the ground by tilling deeply and mixing in well-cured manure in the soil to provide plenty of nitrogen.
4. Plant the seeds in the ground 7 to 10 days after the last frost. The soil temperature should have reached 65° Fahrenheit before you begin sowing. Okra seeds will die in cold soil.
5. Soak the seeds in water or wrap them in wet paper towels before sowing to hasten the germination.
6. Sow seeds an inch deep in mounds set 12 to 24 inches apart. Thin out the seedlings when they have grown to three inches. Leave the strongest plant in each mound.
7. Hardened-off seedlings should be planted at the same time as you would sow the seeds. Add a half shovelful of compost or bone meal to each planting hole before transplanting the seeds.
8. Cover the transplants or the young plants with floating row covers to protect them from the cold. The cover will also provide at least an inch of water each week to the plants.
9. Okra plants need adequate watering to thrive. They should be provided with at least an inch of water each week.
10. Keep out weeds by shallow hoeing and cultivation.
11. Add fertilizer to the soil to provide the okra plant adequate quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, various trace elements, vitamins, and minerals.
12. The pods are ready for picking when they have grown 2 to 3 inches long. The pods should be picked while they are still tender or about four days after the flowers have faded. Delaying the harvest could turn the pods fibrous and inedible.
13. The pods should be harvested at least every other day to encourage flowering.
14. Wear long sleeves and gloves when harvesting as the pods contain hairs that may irritate your skin.