Quick Navigation
Main Navigation
About Us
Education & Events
Ways to Give & Membership
Preservation
Shop
grow Guides
How to Grow Okra
The hulk stalks of the okra plant provide height , grain , and colour to the home garden . Both beautiful and productive , okra can be harvested for several weeks throughout the summertime .
Time of Planting
Because okra germinates and grows well when plant in soil that has warmed above 80 level F , northern gardeners often start seeds in flat and transplant seedlings when the weather condition heats up . In warmer realm of the body politic , seeds are often direct - seeded . Nicking the seed pelage of okra seeds can help amend germination rates .
Spacing Requirements
Sow okra seeds ½ inch deep . When direct - sow lady’s-finger , quad seed 2 inches apart and sparse to a last spatial arrangement of 12 - 18 inches apart .
Time to Germination
6 - 18 day
Special Considerations
Okra make grow well in ardent climates with tender Night , preferring temperature between 68 and 95 degrees F.
Common Pests and Diseases
Okra can suffer from several cuss and diseases , including cucumber beetles , blank mold , Southern Blight , vascular wilt , bacterial spot , and powdery mildew . Growers in southerly commonwealth should also protect against tooth root international nautical mile nematode plague .
When and How to Harvest for Food Consumption
Okra pods are harvest for deplete when they are young and immature , just after the flower fade . Okra pod can be reap every few days with pruning shears or a sharp knife .
If pod are longer than 5 column inch , they might be knotty , though there are some variety that grow longer than others and these may still be affectionate .
Eating
Refrigerate Abelmoschus esculentus pods after harvest . Okra seedcase can be fix just after harvest home in stews , gumbos , or as a deep-fried side dish aerial . If you want to prolong this summer treat , okra pods can also be pickle , or steam and rooted .
Storing
Okra lasts less than a hebdomad in the refrigerator .
How to Save Okra Seeds
Well suitable to tropical and subtropical clime , okra is often associated with the Deep South , but it can be cultivated – even to seed matureness – throughout much of the United States . And okra ’s ability to ego - pollinated makes it a suited crop for beginner seed savers , provided it receives the heat that it needs to flower and determine seeds .
Life Cycle
Annual
Recommended Isolation Distance
Separate smorgasbord by 500 - 1,600 feet .
Recommended Population Sizes
To ensure viable seed , save seeds from at least 1 industrial plant . When keep a potpourri over many generations , salvage seed from 5 - 10 plants . If you ’re saving seeds for familial preservation of a rare variety , save seeds from 25 plant life .
Assessing Seed Maturity
Okra pods continue to increase in sizing when left on the plant beyond the edible leg . Once the germ inside are amply developed , the pod will begin to dry out and should be harvested when they change by reversal brown and brittle .
Harvesting
Just as the solitary flower of okra plant open at different time , beginning at the floor of the plant and get on upwards , so do seedcase matured in this same formula . single fruit should be clipped from the plants as they grow and actuate to a protected location .
Pods can be place out to dry on screen or landscape framework , or they can be hang in mesh purse ; they should be allow to dry until they become brittle . Wearing gloves while harvesting and clean these spiny fruits helps prevent tegument irritation .
Cleaning and Processing
Because okra seeds are enceinte , they can be easily thrash about by hand . Break the gumbo pods with your hands and sour them until they secrete germ . The stem goal of the yield can also be thin out with a pruning sheers , allow the seeds to pour out . The large seeds of Hibiscus esculentus are leisurely to separate from the stubble through screening and winnowing .
Storage and Viability
Store okra seed in a cool , dingy , and dry place protect from plague . When stored in these condition , gumbo seeds can look to viable for 1 - 3 years .
Read more about seed storehouse .
More to Explore
3094 North Winn RoadDecorah , Iowa 52101(563 ) 382 - 5990
right of first publication © 2025 Seed Savers Exchange . Images on this internet site are protect by copyright — unauthorized use is not countenance .
Seed Savers Exchange is a tax - nontaxable 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of heirloom semen .
