Learn How To Grow Okra From Seed The Right Way With Us

Learning how to grow okra from seed can be a good decision if you want to keep enjoying this vegetable year long which tastes amazing in whichever way you prepare it. All stages of the growth of the okra plant look very charming, be the flowers, foliage, or the fruits. We write this article to help you know the right method of growing okra from seeds and enjoy a bountiful harvest with the right caring of the plant.

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About the okra plant

This warm climate crop gives long and slender fruits also known as the popular Lady Finger and is a member of the Malvaceae family. Okras give a good supply of Vitamin A and good carbs to the body and can be prepared in various forms like fried, boils, soups, casseroles, and gumbos. Some of its popular varieties are:

Annie Oakley II
Cajun Delight
Louisiana Green Velvet
Park’s Candelabra Branching
Burgundy
Lee
Emerald
Velvet
Stewart’s Zeebest
Clemson Spineless
Blondy

Facts related to growing okra plant

Take a quick look at different aspects of how to grow okra from seed:

The roots of the plant are a very crucial part of its growth and disturbance to the root of the okra plant must be minimized.
Okra plants grow tall till up to 3 – 6 feet.
The plant is drought tolerant up to some extent.
The plant’s growth takes about 70 days. Once-blooming, they can produce fruits for up to 10 – 12 weeks.
Okra plants can self-pollinate in the right conditions.

Major needs of the okra plant

The first step taken towards growing okra from seeds is to know what all does the plant needs to grow. Let’s see what they are:

The soil medium required by the plant needs to be richly fed with organic matter, properly drained, and fertile. For this, you can prepare a sandy or loamy soil for starting the seeds.
If you are growing them inside, then a potting mix that is rich in micro-organisms will also do.
The pH of the soil can vary between neutral to slightly acidic, i.e., 6.5-7.5.
Okra plants grow well when they receive full sun for an ample amount of time.
The right time to start the okra seed is early spring when the weather starts becoming warmer. The key is to save the seeds from frost or low temperatures at all costs. The plant will grow better in warmer soil.
The soil should have a temperature of around 65 - 95 degrees when planting the seeds.
The soil must remain moist throughout the growth of the okra plant.

Growing the okra plant

It doesn’t take much to start the growth of the plant from an okra seed. If you ask us how to plant okra seeds, well, the process is fairly simple and you can go about it in two ways. Let’s know more about them in detail.

Indoor planting of Okra

Begin with some peat pots and fill a good fertile seed starter mix into them. Peat pots can be directly planted into the soil and this saves the roots of the plant from being disturbed. The right time to start the seeds is 3 – 4 weeks before the last date of spring frost.

Keep the pot at a place that receives full sunlight to good 8 hours a day. You can also use a heat mat to keep them warm for faster sprouting.

Once the seeds sprout, you can move them to a bigger pot but it would be better to avoid that. Instead, thin the seedlings accordingly. After hardening them, move them out into the garden soil bed and plant the pot directly.

Starting the plant outside directly

If the location has a warm enough weather, then you can choose to plant the seeds in your garden outside directly. Calculate a date that is somewhere around 3 – 4 weeks before the last date of spring frost. If you get late in planting the seeds, then you must wait till the weather is warm.

If the weather turns cold, then you can cover the plants with any cold saving frame which is tall enough to not hamper the growth of the plant.

To prepare the seeds, you can soak them in lukewarm water overnight. This helps to give the right kick start to germination.

For people wanting to know how deep to plant okra seeds, the right depth at which they should be sowed is around half to one inch. You must leave the spacing between the seeds up to 12 -18 inches when thinning. The plant rows must be around 3 – 4 feet apart since the plants grow tall and need space to accommodate their root growth too.

Caring for the okra plant

Once the plant starts growing, it needs some amount of caring to give a bountiful harvest. Here are some tips to follow for knowing better how to grow okra from seed:

Thinning and pruning the okra plant is the key to give them the required space for growth. Start thinning the plants after the first true leaves set emerges and then go on repeating it as per the need once they reach the height of 3 inches.
The plants need constant watering and one-inch water in a week can be an ideal supply for the summertime. You can water even more as per the local climate conditions.
Okra plants are heavy feeders and need a good supply of plant food like a 10-10-10 fertilizer, any rich compost, or aged manure. Organic liquid fertilizers can also be applied in a balanced way. Feed them at a gap of 3 -4 weeks.
Regular mulching of the crop is important to eliminate weeding. Mulch the plants deeply at the young stage.
Okra plant is susceptible to pests and diseases like wilt, nematode, root-knot, southern stem blight, powdery mildew, worms, beetles, etc. These can be prevented by proper soil management and crop rotation. Keep removing the dead vegetation and the infected plant parts.

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Saving the okra seed

Home seeds are always the best option to begin the next cycle of okra crops. Other than knowing how to grow okra from seed, we will also tell you how to save the seeds.

It is viable to save the seeds of at least one of the plants. If you are keeping a variety for long, save the seeds of around 5-10 plants. Seeds of around 25 plants must be taken to preserve any genetically rare variety of okra.

The okra pods overgrow after the maturing of the edible stage and dry out later. Once they become brittle and brown, harvest the seeds out of them.

Conclusion

You cannot go wrong with these tips on how to grow okra from seed if you follow all the major rules of the process rightly. Get ready with your gardening equipment once the weather is ready and keep our guide in handy to know the right tricks. Happy gardening!

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