How to Grow Okra

Decide when to start sowing. If you live where the summers are hot and the winters are relatively mild, the easiest way is to grow okra in garden soil instead of seeding and growing the plants indoors. Sow okra seeds in early spring, after the last frost of the year, when nighttime temperatures don’t drop below 13 degrees Celsius. If your area doesn’t meet these conditions before late spring or early summer, It is better to incubate the plants indoors 2-3 weeks before the last frost. When the seedlings are strong and the weather warms up, you can bring them to the garden and plant them in the ground.

• Nurture the plants indoors by sowing the seeds in a mixture of peat moss and watering to provide moisture to the seeds. Place the seed pot in a warm, sunny room or use a grow light to keep it warm while the seeds germinate. Maintain the temperature between 18 – 21 degrees Celsius.
• When you take your seedlings outdoors in warmer weather, you’ll follow the same steps as when growing okra from seed outdoors.

Choose a sunny spot in the garden. Okra grows best in full sun. The plant will not produce much fruit if you plant okra in a shady place. Okra needs to be grown in a place that receives at least 6 hours of full sun per day. Don’t worry about the plants getting too hot – okra does well in the peak of summer, when the sun’s rays hitting the garden are at their hottest.

Adjust the pH in the soil. Okra grows best in soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. Test the pH in the soil to determine if the pH is appropriate. You can apply limestone or bone meal to increase the pH in the soil. If you don’t want to use drastic measures, you can apply lots of compost to adjust the pH to 7, which is neutral.

Provide nutrients to increase soil fertility. Okra grows well in nutrient-rich soil. You can apply compost, bagged compost, or a 4-6-6 slow release fertilizer. ^[1] Whatever fertilizer you use, you should till the soil to a depth of about 30 cm and apply a layer of compost about 10 cm into the soil. Use a rake to distribute the fertilizer evenly.

• Okra may not produce much fruit if you don’t fertilize the plant.

Sow seeds or plant seedlings into the soil. When the weather warms up, it’s time to plant okra in your garden. Sow the okra seeds about 10 cm apart and at a depth of about 1.3 cm. If you grow plants indoors, be very careful when handling the seedlings. Plant okra seedlings about 30 cm apart in rows in beds spaced about 1 m apart. Dig a hole large enough to fit the root pot and pat the soil lightly around the base of the plant. Water the garden until the soil settles.

• If you want the seeds to germinate quickly, you can soak them in water the night before sowing, or freeze the seeds until the shells crack.
• If growing seedlings, you need to be careful not to cut the taproot of the plant. The tree will not survive if the roots are crushed. ^[2]