Okra: Everything to grow in your own garden

The healthy green pods are all the rage right now. Here's what to look for when buying, growing, and caring for okra.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) likes it as warm and sunny as possible. So it's impossible to grow tropical vegetables in our garden? With enough expertise and the right approach, okra can actually grow in your garden too. You can find out everything you need to know for this in our article. Here we will tell you where the okra comes from, which varieties there are and how they can be grown, cared for and harvested.

Okra belongs to the muskrat genus (

Abelmoschus) and comes from the mallow family (Malvaceae). Incidentally, he is also part of the same family hibiscus (Hibiscus), which explains the beautiful flowers of the okra plant. We call okra vegetable marshmallow and the delicious pod is known by many different names all over the world. In Asia it is called Lady Fingers because of its shape or also Bhindi, in Brazil Quiabo, in Cuba Quimbombó and in the Mediterranean region Bamya. Other names for okra are marshmallow, gombo bean or okolo, Egyptian bean, gambo, gombo, Greek horn, greenhorn or hibiscus fruit.

In Africa and Asia in particular, the pod with its numerous names is valued as an important vegetable and is widely used in local cuisine. For example, it is used in spicy curries, soups or chutneys. Oil can be extracted from the seeds of the okra - roasted and ground it can even be used as a coffee substitute. Okra is still an insider tip for us. This can also be due to the fact that the climatic conditions in this country are not optimal for the tropical vegetables. If it is not warm and sunny enough, the cultivation of okra will not succeed. It is considered to be even more difficult to cultivate in our latitudes than, for example paprika (Capsicum) or aubergine (Solanum melongena). In terms of taste, the pods are reminiscent of okra green beans and are not only delicious, but also low in calories and good for digestion. In traditional medicine, they are even used to treat stomach irritation.

Origin and properties of okra

Okra is one of the oldest crops on earth - it is said to have been cultivated as early as 4,000 years ago. The vegetable originally comes from the highlands of Ethiopia. From there it spread rapidly across the entire African continent and made its way to southern Europe. The okra then found its way to North and South America through the slave trade. Today it is cultivated in all tropical areas of the world, the main cultivation areas are Nigeria, India and Pakistan.

Okra is an annual plant and, under optimal conditions, can grow up to two meters in height. The stems of the plant are light green to reddish and covered with hair. Large leaves grow on long stalks at the nodes of the stems. From July, pretty flowers in white to light yellow or purple appear on the leaf axils. From this, 10 to 20 centimeters long, pointed pods that are covered with a fluff develop very quickly. Depending on the variety, the fruits can be light green, dark green, yellow or red. Small, white seeds form in the cross section of the five- to six-cornered pods.

Okra varieties

As diverse as the names for the okra are, so are the varieties of vegetables that are available. The variety determines the shape of the fruit and the color of the pods. We have put together a selection of different types of okra for you below.

Okra varieties with green peel:

• ‘Sun love‘: The pods of this variety are rich green
• ‘Alabama Okra ’: The special thing about this variety are the two-colored fruits: They are both green and red
• ‘Cajun Delight’: This variety gives you green pods and beautiful white flowers
• ‘Cow horn’: Like cow horns, the fruits of this variety are particularly long
• ‘Eagle Pass’: This variety has short, thick pods and yellow flowers
• "Clemson Spineless": This variety is productive and without thorns
• 'Emerald': This variety, which produces rounded pods, does not have any spines
• 'Lee': The pods of this variety are small and tasty

Okra varieties with red skin:

• ‘Red Velvet’: The fruits of this variety are bright red
• 'Bowling Red': This variety bears light to dark red pods
• ‘Red Burgundy’: The fruits of this variety are particularly intensely colored; they shine in deep dark red to purple

Okra varieties with yellowish and whiter Peel:

• "Five Creek Cowhorn": This variety bears light green to yellow long pods
• 'Burmese': The light green to yellow pods of this variety are just as beautiful as the white flowers with a purple center
• ‘Edna Slaton‘s Candelabra’: The fruits of this variety are particularly long, but also rather thin 
• ‘White Velvet’: The pods of this variety are white

Buy okra

Unfortunately, buying okra is not that easy. You will rarely find young plants in our stores, if at all. It is therefore easier to resort to seeds and grow young plants yourself. This is cheaper, but of course requires a little more time and work. When buying okra seeds, you should pay particular attention to the variety and the shelf life of the seeds. You can buy this in spring in nurseries or order it from an online retailer.

What to look for when Buying okra you have to pay attention to anything else, you can also find a list of recommended sources of supply here.

Growing okra

Okra only knows it from its tropical homeland when it is sunny and hot. And that's how she wants it in our garden too. In the following we will show you where okra feels comfortable and how the plant is preferred and finally planted out.

The right location for okra

When it comes to okra, it is best to grow it in a greenhouse. You can only dare to cultivate it outside in the garden in sun-drenched vineyards. The tropical fruit wants to get at least six hours of sun a day, otherwise it has little to no pods. The soil for growing it should be loose and well drained. In addition, okra is always hungry, it needs a lot of nutrients. The optimal pH value for the cultivation of okra is between 6.5 and 7.0.

What is the right location and soil for okra?

• As warm as possible
• Sunny
• Best in the greenhouse
• Loose, well-drained soil
• Soil rich in nutrients
• Ideal pH: 6.5 to 7.0

Prefer okra

In order to give the okra a head start in the garden, we recommend that you give preference to young plants from seeds as early as spring. You can start doing this from the beginning of April. Prepare pots with a suitable growing medium - for example the peat-free one Plantura organic herb & seed compost - before. The seeds are soaked in lukewarm water for 24 hours before sowing - this speeds up germination. The seeds are then placed one centimeter deep in the pots, covered with substrate and moistened. The seedlings feel most comfortable now in a self-made one Mini greenhouse. At temperatures between 22 and 25 degrees, but never below 21 degrees, place the seed trays in a place on the windowsill. Now the seeds should germinate within ten days. One week after opening, the seedlings are separated and the weak little plants are sorted out.

Step-by-step instructions for choosing okra:

1. Soak seeds in water for 24 hours
2. Prepare the potty with growing medium
3. Seeds approx. Plant 1 cm deep
4. Cover with earth
5. Pouring on
6. Place pots in mini greenhouse
7. Ideal germination temperature: 22 - 25 ° C
8. Germination time: 10 days
9. Isolate one week after emergence

Plant out okra

In mid-May, the time has come: the young plants can be planted in the greenhouse. First prepare the bed well by loosening the soil and removing any weeds or stones. In order to meet the high nutrient requirements of okra, enrich the soil with compost or a fertilizer with long-term organic effects. Our Plantura is ideally suited for this Organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect, which provides the okra with sufficient and long-term nutrients. Now prepare planting holes with a plant spacing of 30 centimeters and a row spacing of 90 centimeters. Then very carefully remove the young plants from the growing pots. It is particularly important not to damage the sensitive roots of the plants. The plants are then only placed as deep in the ground as they were in the pot. Finally, water everything well.

How is okra planted?

• Loosen up the bed and remove weeds
• Enrich the soil with compost or a fertilizer with long-term organic effects
• Prepare planting holes with a distance of 30 cm x 90 cm
• Very carefully remove young plants from the growing pots
• Only insert the plants as deep as they were in the pot
• Pouring on

Tip: Good neighbors in the garden bed for okra are peas (Pisum sativum) or May beets (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa var. majalis). Nightshade plants such as potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) or tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum).

Maintain okra

The cultivation of okra is rather not for people without green fingers, because the plant also makes certain demands on its care. In the following section you will find out what to look for when watering and fertilizing the plant.

Pour okra

The tasty and healthy pod needs a lot of water so that it can grow and flourish. Okra does not survive drought, but you cannot actually give it too much water. So water your okra regularly, even daily on hot days. The best time to do this is early in the morning.

Fertilize okra

In order to be able to form beautiful, large and, above all, many pods, okra needs sufficient nutrients. So fertilize them all summer long. Three fertilizations over the summer have proven successful: the first time before planting, the second time after flowering and the third time after the first pods have been harvested. Compost or a fertilizer with an organic long-term effect is ideally suited to fertilize the okra for a long enough time. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer gradually releases the valuable plant nutrients and is particularly gentle on the plant and the environment. The fertilizer also stimulates soil life, which is important for a healthy garden.

Propagate okra

Okra can be propagated well via seeds. If you want to harvest okra pods for seed production, you should wait a little longer than when harvesting to eat the pods, so that the okra seed shell becomes as large as possible. To harvest the seeds, the seed pods must dry on the vine and begin to crack or splinter on their own. You can now harvest the pods. At this point, the seeds are already detaching themselves from the seed coat and are not covered with pulp. So you don't need to wash them. Dry the seeds in the fresh air for a few days. The seeds will keep in a cool, dark and dry place until the next garden season.

How is okra propagated?

• The pods ripen on the plant and allow to dry
• Then harvest when the pods open on their own
• Remove seeds from the seed coats
• Allow to air dry
• Store in a cool and dry place

Harvest and store okra

About two months after the okra has been planted, it is time for the first harvest. Use a sharp knife or secateurs for this. The pods should be eight to ten centimeters long for harvest. The stem is cut off just in front of the pod. If the okra is harvested in this way, new pods can form over and over again throughout the summer.

Tip: It is best to wear gloves when harvesting so as not to injure yourself on the prickly hairs on the stems and leaves.

Okra don't like it cold even after the harvest, so it's best to use them as soon as possible and not store them in the refrigerator. The fresh okra pods only keep for a few days in the pantry. One way to preserve these delicious vegetables is to freeze them. This does not harm the pods, because the pods keep frozen for up to a year. Or you can put your okra in brine, so the taste and texture of the vegetables are preserved for a long time.

Harvesting and storing okra:

• First harvest 2 months after planting
• Harvest pods from 8-10 cm in length
• Cut off the stem just before the pod
• Harvest plants all summer
• Do not store pods in the refrigerator
• Consume fresh pods within a few days
• Preservation by freezing or soaking is possible

Ingredients and uses of okra

The exotic vegetables are valued in the kitchen mainly because of their great ingredients. 100 grams of fresh okra contain just 19 kilocalories and only 0.2 grams of fat. But the pods contain plenty of vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamins K, E, B1 and B2. Okra can also be used with minerals and trace elements. In addition to calcium, potassium and magnesium, it also contains iron, zinc and folic acid. Thanks to its wealth of fiber and mucilage, okra is extremely beneficial for digestion and the intestinal flora.

Although okra pods can be eaten raw, most of the time they are boiled or cooked. But don't be surprised: when cooked, okra secretes a slimy substance. This has the same effect as cornstarch, it is well suited for thickening all kinds of food. However, if you do not want this substance to leak out, you can boil the pods in vinegar water for a few minutes and then quench them with cold water. Another option is to soak the pods in lemon water for a few hours before using them.

For use in the kitchen, cut off the stem and dry end of the pod. Now the delicious vegetables can be processed and used in a variety of ways. The healthy pods taste good in soups, stews, curries or pasta dishes. As a popular Turkish starter, okra pods are deep-fried and seasoned with onions and garlic. Another delicious way of preparing it is as a stew, along with tomatoes, garlic and chilli. A well-known African stew is gumbo with seafood, poultry, smoked sausages or other meat, with celery, onions, peppers and of course okra pods.

If you have now decided to grow the exotic plant yourself, you will find out everything about it here Buying okra.