There aren’t any plants that you should avoid planting next to your okra, but cucumbers, basil, black-eyed peas, and melons are all particularly good companion plants. Okra tends to be a friendly crop that does well with a wide variety of vegetable neighbors. Companion Planting and Rotation Considerations Once the plants are about six inches tall you can top dress them with organic compost and a mulch of grass clippings, wood chips or similar material. Okra grows best when given at least an inch of water a week in the summer, but it does surprisingly well with significantly less water, making it a drought-tolerant crop.įor the first few weeks after planting, it’s a good idea to hand weed your okra so that you don’t accidentally damage the root system. You’ll notice a thick main trunk beginning to form and big yellow blossoms opening up on the branch tips. Once the plants are four inches tall, you can thin them out so that they are spaced eighteen inches apart.įor the first few weeks after being planted, okra tends to grow slowly, though the growth rate picks up quickly once the weather really heats up. To direct sow your okra, soak your seeds overnight and plant them one inch deep and four inches apart, in rows that are spaced over two feet apart. Another option is to plant your okra in a cold frame or a grow tunnel to get a jump start on the season. To warm up your soil more quickly, you can cover it in black plastic for a few weeks before planting. In warmer climates, you can direct sow your okra seeds once temperatures have reached at least 80 degrees F. Water the plants immediately after planting but wait at least a week before laying down mulch in order to give the soil a chance to be fully warmed by the sun. Gently separate your seedlings from the container they grew in and set them in the garden at least 10 inches apart. The taproots on these plants are extremely fragile, and accidentally breaking one will likely kill the whole plant, so be careful when you plant them. You can move your okra seedlings outside once the temperature is consistently warm. The pH level that okra prefers is between 5.8-7, though it can still grow in conditions as high as 7.5. Tilling in a nitrogen-fixing crop like beans directly before planting your okra is a good way to increase your soil fertility naturally. Though okra is renowned for being able to grow in just about any type of garden soil, the plant will do best when planted in a loamy soil filled with organic material.
Okra can’t tolerate any shade, and even partial shade will dramatically stunt the plant’s growth.
#Full grown okra plant full
The key to success in choosing a location for your okra is to ensure that it is planted in full sun. You can sow two seeds per planting container and thin out the weaker one once the true leaves begin to form. Soak your seeds in water overnight and nick them with a file to make it easier for the seedlings to come out.
Starting Seeds Indoorsįor short-season growers, okra can be started indoors about two weeks before the last frost date to ensure that it will be ready to be planted outside six weeks later, or about a month after the frost date. Okra seeds tend to be difficult to get to sprout, so it’s a good idea to soak them overnight before planting to speed up the germination process. Understanding Seed Germination for Okraīecause okra is a semi-tropical plant, it won’t tolerate any kind of cold or frost, and seeds won’t germinate in soil that hasn’t warmed up. In general, any soil temperature above 65 degrees F should be able to grow okra. Though okra grows best in warm climates, northern gardeners can have success if they grow dwarf varieties, start their seeds indoors, or plant it in sun-warmed containers. If you have long, hot summers, you can easily direct sow your seeds, but if your summers tend to be shorter it’s a better idea to get a head start with transplants.
#Full grown okra plant how to
You’ll have to decide how to plant your okra depending on the climate conditions in your region. Growing okra is far easier than you probably expect, and this guide will start you towards producing your own tasty crop. As long as you go out of your way to ensure you meet its needs for a warm, sunny environment. The truth is that okra can grow any place you can plant corn. However, you don’t need to limit your okra dreams to where it grows traditionally. Okra was brought to North America in the 1600s, and it has been a staple of southern cooking ever since. This semi-tropical plant hails from Africa and is a member of the hibiscus family, which is why okra flowers are so stunningly beautiful. And, growing okras is a cinch, provided you have warm enough weather. Southern gardeners have known a secret for years that their northern counterparts are only just beginning to pick up on okra is an incredibly delicious, versatile vegetable.
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