Growing Okra in the home garden

Information about Okra

As spring and summer beckons, every garden should plant okra. Okra can be made as a stew or made as a dry vegetable (look up on the internet, you will get a lot of recipes). There is a lot of research ongoing about how eating okra is good for you, adding to the list of many different vegetables and fruits that are good for your health. Okra is pretty easy to grow, but there are some basic precautions that you need to take.

Okra pod showing promise

Okra seeds and germination

The seed for okra is a small green colored roundish seed. Typically, it helps if you make a very small nick in the seed or immerse it in water for 2-3 hours or even a bit more (and the seeds that float to the surface is supposed to have a lower chance of germination - I discarded those seeds that floated up, but do not really have any confirmation that it is required to do so). The seeds do not germinate unless the weather is hot, needing to get to atleast 26-27 degrees Celsius (79 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit). If you are not seeing this temperature outside, then you need to provide some kind of assistance for the heating (germinate inside or cover the germination box to ensure that heating happens).

Holding Okra seedlings

Okra seedlings

It is said that okra seedlings do not easily transplant, it is better to grow them in the same place where you want to grow the plant (direct seeding). Plant more seeds than you need, and if there are more seedlings than you need, you can always thin them out. Keep a foot between the plants if you are growing in the ground; if you are growing in containers, there is no easy mathematical representation (it depends on the depth and width of the container). I plant in containers that are atleast 10 inches deep, but 12 inches and more is even better. If you do get a good plant, then it can really grow tall, 6 feet or more and be very productive. For a family of 4, with okra being used in a dish once or twice a week, my calculation is that you should have around 20 plants.

Okra saplings getting ready to transplant

Success while transplanting

One problem I have with the Okra seedling is that it seems very fragile. Either I am doing something wrong, or okra has a high death rate in the young plant itself - my estimate is that the plant has a survival rate of 50% even in the seedling stage (and this is true whether it is direct seeding or transplanting). For transplanting, I have tried multiple measures. I use cocopeat as the seeding mix, and have used paper rolls, as well as small juice containers or plastic bottles, and am very careful while doing the transplanting (slowly easing out the entire seedling and the seeding mix with a small flat spoon and planting the entire contents) to ensure that the roots are not impacted. At the same time, when you do the transplant, need to ensure that the stem does not go under the soil level, since it will rot easily.

Germinating okra seedlings though paper germination

Harvesting in time

Once you have an okra plant growing, you get the pods growing from the side of the main stalk, and have to be very careful. It can grow to full size almost seemingly instantaneously, and if ripe, can start to bulge and lose its taste. And when the pod starts to become like this, the plant apparently stops producing any more pods, which is why you need to keep an eagle eye on your plants. But, the plants are also very productive, which makes them a great success story in the home garden. For a better harvest, alternate growing beans in the same container which ensures nitrogen fixing in the container.

Please share your experiences in the comments below. I would really appreciate it, whether positive or negative. I am trying to increase organic growth for my family, so every suggestion helps. 

Helpful Blogs about growing Okra:

All About Okra, How To Grow Okra (Lady Finger) At Home, How to Grow Okra, How to Grow Your Own Organic Okra, Growing and Harvesting Okra

Some youtube videos about growing Okra:

5 Tips to Grow Lots of OKRA | Ladyfinger Bhindi, 

How to Grow Okra In Raised Beds or Containers |From Seed to Harvest|

The fastest way to grow Okra nobody talks about

Growing Okra | Best Tips