Okra

Okra: plant 40 cm (16 in) apart in the row and 90 cm (35 in) between rows, 1 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	40 cm (16 in)
Between rows	90 cm (35 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	130 cm (51 in)
Crop rotation group	Anywhere in the rotation
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, started in trays
Seeds per hole	2
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	5
Sowing depth	2.5 cm (1 in)
Soil temperature	from 16 °C, best 29–35 °C
Days to emerge	7–27 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	Soak overnight
When to sow	Indoors 4 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 18 °C

From seedling to plant

After emergence	18–24 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Only with care, keep the root ball
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	15 L, 35 cm (13.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; at flowering, while fruit sets
Feeding	Hungry; at planting, at flowering, while picking
Support and training	A stake; tie in as it grows

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	55–70 days, from sowing
Ready when	The pods snap and the seeds barely show
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 8–12 weeks
Typical yield	0.8–1.5 kg per plant
Botanical family	Malvaceae
Watch out for	Aphids, whitefly, blight

Plan Okra in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Okra onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow indoors	Mar–Apr
Sow outdoors	May
Harvest	Jul–Sep

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Okra →

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Growing Okra in the Home Garden (C 941) — University of Georgia Cooperative Extension for: sowing depth, when to sow, between rows; checked 2026-10-31
Seed germination: temperature and timing (Harrington tables) — UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR for: days to emerge, soil temperature; checked 2026-10-31
Illinois vegetable planting dates, spacing and seeds (2020) — University of Illinois Extension for: spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-31

More in Fruiting vegetables

← All plants