How to grow Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus · lady's fingers, bhindi

A heat-loving warm-season vegetable grown for its edible pods. It grows best at 24–32 °C, is killed back by frost and is sown only once the soil has warmed to 18 °C.

Quick facts

Type	Vegetable
Family	Malvaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	5.8–6.5
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 18 °C
Germination	12 days
Seedlings ready	30 days
Sowing to harvest	80 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 6 weeks before planting out.

Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 80 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	24…32 °C	—
Growth	every 4 days	24…32 °C	nitrogen, 21 days into the stage
Flowering	every 4 days	24…32 °C	—
Fruiting	every 3 days	24…32 °C	—
Harvest	every 3 days	24…32 °C	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	24…32 °C	nitrogen, 21 days into the stage
Flowering	every 4 days	24…32 °C	—
Fruiting	every 4 days	24…32 °C	—
Harvest	every 4 days	24…32 °C	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	24…32 °C	—
Growth	every 4 days	24…32 °C	nitrogen, 21 days into the stage

Growing notes

Light

Needs full sun, 6–8 hours of direct light a day.

Soil

Well-drained, fertile soil; okra needs plenty of nutrients. pH 5.8–6.5.

Care

Soak the seeds in water for about 6 hours before sowing to help them germinate. Water about 25–50 mm a week in hot, dry weather. Side-dress with nitrogen about three weeks after planting and with a balanced fertiliser once picking starts. Cut pods 5–10 cm long, a few days after the flowers open, every 2–3 days so they do not turn woody. Wear gloves, as most plants are spiny.

Pests and diseases of Okra

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.