Okra: Everything you need to grow in your own garden

The healthy green pods are very trendy right now. Here's what to consider when buying, growing, and caring for okra.

okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) likes it as warm and sunny as possible. So it's impossible to grow the vegetables from the tropics 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 in our article. Here we tell you where okra comes from, what varieties there are and how to grow, care for and harvest it.

Okra belongs to the genus of muskrat (Abelmoschus) and comes from the mallow family (

Malvaceae). Incidentally, he belongs to 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 around the world. In Asia it is called Lady Fingers or Bhindi because of its shape, in Brazil Quiabo, in Cuba Quimbombó and in the Mediterranean Bamya. Other names for okra are edible marshmallow, gombo bean or okolo, Egyptian bean, gambo, gombo, Greek horn, greenhorn or hibiscus fruit.

Especially in Africa and Asia, the pod with the numerous names is valued as an important vegetable and used in a variety of ways in the local cuisine. For example, it is used in spicy curries, soups or chutneys. Oil can be extracted from the seeds of the okra - they are even roasted and ground as a coffee substitute. With us, okra is still an insider tip. This can also be due to the fact that the climatic conditions in this country are not ideal 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). The taste of the pods is 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 useful plants on earth - it is said to have been cultivated 4000 years ago. The vegetable originally comes from the highlands of Ethiopia. From there it spread rapidly across the entire African continent and on to southern Europe. 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 can grow up to two meters tall under optimal conditions. The stems of the plant are light green to reddish and covered with hairs. At the nodes of the stems, large leaves grow on long stalks. From July, pretty flowers in white to light yellow or purple appear on the leaf axils. This quickly develops into pods that are 10 to 20 centimeters long, tapering to a point and covered with a fluff. Depending on the variety, the fruits can be light green, dark green, yellow or even red. Small, white seeds form in the cross-section of the five- to six-sided pods.

Okra Varieties

As diverse as the names for the okra are, so is the variety of varieties that are available from the vegetable. The variety determines the shape of the fruit and the color of the pods. Below we have put together a selection of different types of okra for you.

Green-skin okra varieties:

• ‘sun love': The pods of this variety are rich green
• ‘Alabama Okra': What is special 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 as well
• 'cow horn': Like cow horns, the fruits of this variety are particularly long
• 'Eagle Pass': This variety bears short, thick pods and yellow flowers
• 'Clemson Spineless': This variety is high yielding and thornless
• 'emerald': No spines on this variety, which produces rounded pods
• 'Lee': The pods of this variety are small and tasty

Red Shell Okra Varieties:

• 'Red Velvet': The fruits of this variety have a beautiful light red colour
• 'Bowling Red': This variety bears light to dark red pods
• 'Red Burgundy': The fruits of this variety are particularly intensively colored; they shine in rich dark red to purple

Okra varieties with yellowish and whiter Bowl:

• 'Five Creek Cowhorn': This variety bears light green to yellow long pods
• 'Burmese': The light green to yellow pods of this strain are just as pretty as the white flowers with purple centers
• '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 easy. You will rarely find young plants in our shops, if at all. It is therefore easier to use 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 seed. You can buy this from nurseries in the spring or order it from an online retailer.

What are you talking about? Buying okra else have to pay attention to, you can also find a list of recommended sources of supply here.

grow okra

From its tropical homeland, okra only knows it to be sunny and hot. And that's how she wants it in our garden. In the following we will introduce you to which location okra feels comfortable and how the plant is grown and finally planted out.

The right location for okra

The best way to grow okra is in a greenhouse. Only in sun-drenched vineyards can you dare to grow it outside in the garden. The tropical fruit likes to get at least six hours of sun a day, otherwise it bears little or no pods. The soil for cultivation should be loose and well-drained. In addition, the okra is always hungry, it needs a lot of nutrients. The optimal pH for cultivating 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
• nutrient-rich soil
• Ideal pH: 6.5 to 7.0

prefer okra

To give okra a head start in the garden, we recommend growing young plants from seeds in the spring. You can start with this from the beginning of April. Prepare pots with a suitable growing substrate - for example with the peat-free one Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil - in front. 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 now feel most comfortable in a home-made one mini greenhouse. At temperatures between 22 and 25 degrees, but never below 21 degrees, place the seed trays in a spot on the windowsill. Now the seed should germinate within ten days. One week after they emerge, the seedlings are separated and the weak plants are sorted out.

Step-by-step instructions for preparing okra:

1. Soak seeds in water for 24 hours
2. Prepare pots with growing substrate
3. seeds approx. Plant 1 cm deep
4. Cover with soil
5. casting
6. Place potty in mini greenhouse
7. Ideal germination temperature: 22 – 25 °C
8. Germination time: 10 days
9. Separate 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. To meet the high nutritional requirements of okra, enrich the soil with compost or a slow-release organic fertilizer. Our Plantura is ideal for this Organic universal fertilizer with an organic long-term effect, which supplies the okra with all the important nutrients in a sufficient and long-term manner. Now prepare planting holes with a planting distance of 30 centimeters and a row spacing of 90 centimetres. Then very carefully remove the young plants from the nursery pots. It is particularly important not to damage the sensitive roots of the plants. The little plants are then only planted as deep in the ground as they were in the pot. Finally pour everything well.

How is okra planted?

• Loosen up the bed and remove weeds
• Amend the soil with compost or a slow release organic fertilizer
• Prepare planting holes with a distance of 30 cm x 90 cm
• Remove young plants very carefully from the nursery pots
• Only plant the plants as deep as they were in the pot
• casting

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

care for okra

The cultivation of okra is not for people without a green thumb, because the plant also has certain requirements when it comes to care. In the following section you will find out what to look out 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 thrive. Okra does not survive drought, but you really cannot give it too much water. Therefore, 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, the okra needs sufficient nutrients. Therefore, fertilize them throughout the summer. Three fertilization methods have proven successful over the summer: 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 best suited to fertilizing the okra for a sufficiently long time. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer gradually releases the valuable plant nutrients and is therefore particularly gentle on the plant and the environment. The fertilizer also stimulates soil life, which is important for a healthy garden.

multiply okra

Okra is easy to propagate from seeds. If you want to harvest okra pods for seed production, you should wait a little longer than when harvesting the pods for consumption, so that the okra seed coat gets as large as possible. Harvesting the seeds requires the seed pods to dry on the vine and begin to crack or splinter open on their own. Now you can 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 have to wash them. Dry the seeds in the open air for a few days. The seeds will keep in a cool, dark, dry place until the next gardening season.

How is okra propagated?

• Ripe the pods on the plant and let them dry
• 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

Harvesting and storing okra

About two months after planting the okra, it's time for the first harvest. Use a sharp knife or pruning shears for this. The pods should be between eight and ten centimeters long for harvest. The stalk is cut off just before the pod. If the okra is harvested in this way, new pods can form again and 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 doesn't like it cold after harvest either, so it's best to use it as soon as possible and not refrigerate. The fresh okra pods therefore only last a few days in the pantry. One way to preserve the tasty vegetables is to freeze them. This does not damage the pods, as the pods can be frozen for up to a year. Or you can soak your okra in brine, which preserves the flavor and texture of the vegetable for a long time.

Harvesting and storing okra:

• First harvest 2 months after planting
• Harvest pods that are 8-10 cm long
• Cut off the stalk just before the pod
• Harvest plants throughout the summer
• Do not store pods in the refrigerator
• Consume fresh pods within a few days
• Can be preserved by freezing or pickling

Ingredients and uses of okra

The exotic vegetable is valued in the kitchen mainly because of its 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. The okra can also serve 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 often they are boiled or simmered. But don't be surprised: When cooked, the 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 escape, you can boil the pods in vinegar water for a few minutes and then rinse them in cold water. Another option is to soak the pods in lemon water for a few hours before using.

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

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