Okra is one of the last things to bear in the Southern garden.  Originally from Africa, it just continues to make okra through even the hottest summer.  Still bearing plants can be used as supports for the fall pole beans.

Planting Okra

Okra does require a lot of sunlight, well-drained soil, and some fertilizer to do its’ best.  The seeds need to be planted about 1 inch deep and about two inches apart in rows spaced three feet apart.  When the okra is up and growing well, thin the plants to one every foot.

Fertilizing Okra

Before you plant the okra area of your garden, spread 2-3 pounds of a 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet over the top of the ground.  Then mix it into the top 3-4 inches of soil.  That is all the fertilizer your okra will need until the first harvest.  Then apply one cup of fertilizer for every 10 feet of garden row between the rows of plants.

Ants In The Okra

Fire ants like okra.  There are no approved fire ant treatments for use in a vegetable garden.  However, if you spread bait just outside the garden, the ants will pick it up and take it to their nest.  Spread the bait in the evening, as that is when the ants are most likely to pick it up.  Most bait has oil in it and the oil will go rancid in the heat before the ants find it, hence the need to spread it in the evening.

Harvesting Okra

Wear gloves when harvesting okra.  Most varieties, except for Clemson spineless okra, have spines that will stick you and make you itch.  Harvest okra when the pods are 3-4 inches long.  Any longer and it gets stringy and tough.  Cut the pods from the plant with a sharp knife where the pod meets the stem.  Pulling injures the plant and will reduce yield.  When the plants are at peak production, every day or two there will be some pods ready to pick.

After The Harvest

Okra can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.  Frying, baking, or using in gumbo are all good ways to use the okra.  If you let pods mature too much, let them dry and use them in flower arrangements.

Want to learn to garden? My first attempt at gardening ended up in failure. The weeds took over and squeezed the vegetables out. I was very frustrated by this waste of good seed, time, and money. So I became a master gardener and spent a lot of time helping other people avoid or overcome problems in their garden. 

In order to help others garden successfully, I have written a book, Vegetable Gardening from the Ground Up, available in an ebook or a paperback from Amazon. It is also in Kindle Unlimited.