If you’re here to learn more about how to grow okra plants, you’re in for a treat! Okra is a beautiful garden plant that’s versatile and immensely rewarding to grow.

Not only is the okra a beautiful plant with show-stopping flowers, but every part of the okra plant is edible, from seeds to flowers, leaves and the unique vegetable – okra pods. EXCEPT the stalk, which is actually used in olden days for making rope and paper.

Beyond garden beauty to delight gardeners and pollinators, there are more of the amazing attributes of this versatile plant to discover and enjoy.to

If You Hate Okra…

If you hate okra, we cover how to cook it without it becoming slimy near the end, with MANY great tips on how to enjoy it from readers.

Whenever we share an okra article on Facebook, there’s always a small percentage of people who chime in rather graphically, 🤔🤓 about how much they hate it.

We get it. Some people are turned off by the okra’s mucilaginous properties, also called “gooey” or “slimy” (as the nicer words we seen for it).

There are ways to prepare okra that do not activate the mucilage. Beyond that, consider that the the “goo” could actually be beneficial to you, as it has been said to contain collagen and other benefits to skin and body!

Minimum Soil Temperatures for Growing Okra Plant

Each spring we watch the soil temperature with our laser digital thermometer, waiting  to plant warm weather okra here in North Carolina, zone 7a. The soil needs to be at more than 60℉. As we observe the degrees tick upward,  it’s like a right of passage to get those okra seeds into the ground. It means gardening season is full on!

Planting okra signifies gardening season is now in full spring swing!

Plant okra when soil is consistently higher than 60℉.

Okra – Do You Love it or Hate it?

Mention okra to someone and you’ll likely get one of two reactions.

“I love okra!”

“Ewwww, okra is gross. I can’t stand slimy okra!”

If you love fried green tomatoes… things southerners understand, you’ll love fried okra. We’re not talking about healthy eating here… but good old fashioned comfort food, southern fried kind.

However, there are healthier ways to “fry okra”, such as cooking in an air fryer or roasting okra pods in the oven that taste just as good without all the oil.

The alternate reaction will likely be a slight wincing of the facial muscles and comments about the distasteful slime factor that accompanies cooked okra pods.

Mentioning there are ways to cook away the “slime”, also known as mucilaginous properties, has little effect on the “never eat okra” tribe. They’ve been badly initiated.

Edible Okra Flowers

We love the rare and beautiful color combination of the okra blossom. While these are edible, we rarely harvest them because for several reasons.

Why We Don’t Usually Eat the Okra Flowers

• We love seeing them on the plant and they add beauty to the garden
• The blossoms becomes the okra pod, so to harvest the flower sacrifices the fruit
• They’re beneficial to pollinators

But… if you have a large crop, the occasional blossom added to a salad or dish adds beauty and a gourmet touch!

See more edible flowers here.

OKRA FLOWER: Cousin to hibiscus, with its own beautiful flowers, okra is a multifaceted vegetable in the mallow family, (Malvaceae).

The Okra Flower Appearance

The beautiful okra flower has pale pink coloring on the outer part of the petals and a enchanting pale yellow on the inside petals. The center of the okra flower is a deep burgundy with tiny yellow florets on the stamen.

Okra flowers are beautiful and edible! Add fresh to salads or steam for a nutty flavor with a hint of asparagus.

The Mallow Family Okra

As a member of the mallow family, okra has the prettiest blossoms in the garden resembling its cousin, the flowering hibiscus. 

Scientifically dubbed Abelmoschus esculentus, okra plants are a warm-season crop grown in home gardens throughout the Southern United States and other warm climates around the world. Okra is a tall, upright plant with a beautiful pink, yellow and burgundy flower.

The young seed pods are the most common edible part of this plant. However, all parts are edible, except the stalks, all of which we’ll discuss further.^[1]https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/okra/

Okra Origins

A perennial plant in hot climates, okra (or “okro”) is popular in Indian and African cuisine. Said to originate in Africa, there’s some dispute and vagueness around its exact origins. For the North American climate, okra is grown as a garden annual especially in the Deep South.

Given the global popularity of okra, it has accrued a long list of regional common names, some of which are in this list.

Okra Scientific Names

• SCIENTIFIC NAMES:
  • Abelmoschus esculentus
  • Hibiscus esculentus
• FAMILY: Malvaceae

Common Names for Okra from Around the World

• Bamia – Middle Eastern
• Bhindi – India
• Qiū kuí – China
• Gomboa – Swahili
• Gumbo – southern US, especially Louisiana Cajun areas
• Hibiscus esculentus – Malaysia
• Lady finger – US, and as the English common name around the world
• Okra – US, Philippines, and English global
• Okro – West Africa
• Okura – Japanese
• Quimbombó – Cuban

In the South, we have the luxury of just sticking seeds in the warm ground (note: an overnight soak in tepid water helps the germination process).

How to Grow Okra in Colder Climates

Start Seeds Indoors

• set out okra transplants after the last frost when ~5″ tall with 4 or more true leaves
• or grow okra in pots from the start to finish
• soak seeds overnight before you plant okra seeds

Soaking okra seeds overnight in tepid water helps germination.

The Okra Plant

You can eat the “fruit”, leaves, flowers and seeds of the okra plant!
~GardensAll.com

Edible Parts of Okra – All of it (well, almost)!

Okay, so while the stalks may not be considered edible, the rest of the okra plant is, plus the stalks have their uses.

• Fruit (the vegetable pod is actually a fruit)
• Leaves
• Flower
• Seeds
• Stalks – are actually too tough and fibrous to eat, but traditionally used in making rope and paper

Okra is a “seed-to-stem” food: the flowers and seed pods are edible; the seeds can be ground into flour or pressed for oil; and the stalk fibers can be made into paper or rope. 

Western University of North Carolina Radio, WUNC.org

For those interested in growing the most food in the least amount of space, okra has the benefit of being highly edible. Most people just eat the okra “fruit”, yep… okra is a fruit and not actually a vegetable, though we all eat it and think of it as such. But that’s not the only edible parts of okra.

Edible Okra Leaves

Yes… Okra Leaves are Edible!

Okra leaves can be eaten basically as you would spinach, such as raw in salads, sandwiches, steamed, sautéed and chopped up in soups. The younger fresher leaves are bests raw, but the larger ones are also good steamed and sautéed.

We harvest a few okra leaves during the season, being careful not to strip the plant of too many of its solar receptors for fueling the pod growth. Then at season’s end, for us in zone 7a that’s fall, we make sure to harvest all healthy okra leaves before pulling out the plant to make way for planting garlic.

Okra contains 22% of daily values (DV) of vitamin C.

Okra Benefits

The nutritional and antioxidant content of okra helps reduce the risk of serious health conditions.

• Cancer
• Cholesterol – reduces bad cholesterol
• Diabetes*^[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7865958/
• Heart disease
• Intestinal tract
• Obesity^[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7865958/
• Reduces bad cholesterol
• Stroke
• Minerals – iron, potassium and magnesium
• Vitamins – C, A, and folate

*Preliminary studies on rodents, show benefits in lowering blood sugar and diabetic tendencies. Similar benefits are anticipated in humans but more studies are needed.

Okra Water, Okra Extract and Okra Seeds – Medicinal Benefits

This diabetes prevention benefit, is perhaps why some cultures have a tradition of drinking okra water. In one study they used the okra seed extract for the treatment and prevention of diabetes.^[4]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24079173 In the other study, an okra extract was used to improve blood glucose levels of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rats.^[5]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26706676

In the other study, an okra extract was used to improve blood glucose levels of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rats.^[6]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26706676

“An infusion of roasted okra seeds has long been consumed in Turkey for diabetes therapy.”

Okra Nutrition

Source: Dr. Axe ^[7]https://draxe.com/okra-nutrition/

Okra Pods Nutrition

Okra is low in antinutrient^[8]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4779480/ content that could block absorption of nutrients, rendering it with high mineral bioavailability.

• Antioxidants
  • polyphenols
• Vitamins – C, A, & K
• Vitamin K in trace amounts
• Minerals – iron, magnesium, zinc
• Phytonutrients
• Protein

Okra Leaves Nutrition

• Fiber for digestive health
• Vitamins – A & K in trace amounts
• Minerals – iron & magnesium
• Phytonutrients

Okra leaves contribute beneficial fiber, good for digestive health. Many cultures enjoy okra leaves for the zesty and mildly bitter flavor okra leaves add to soups and gumbo. ^[9]https://www.livestrong.com/article/550346-can-you-cook-breaded-okra-in-a-convection-oven/

We were already fans of okra before knowing any of this information about nutrients. Now, we want to grow even more!  So, how do gardeners plant and cultivate this amazing crop?

Is Okra is Easy to Grow?

Okra is one of the easiest plants we grow in our USDA Zone 7A.

HOW TO GROW OKRA PLANTS

When to Plant Okra Plants

Plant your okra seeds when the soil is consistently 60℉. See more below on seed preparation.

How to Grow Okra Plants from Seed

• Direct sow okra seeds when soil temperatures are consistently between 65-75°F / 18.33-23.89°C
• Prepare okra seeds by opening the hard seed coat
  • soaking overnight in lukewarm water, or
  • scarification, (roughing seeds with sandpaper to break the tough husk down more quickly
• Plant seeds 1 inch deep in well drained soil
• Space seeds 4 inches apart in the row (thinning to 12 inches) and in rows 24 inches apart
• Varieties of dwarf okra can be grown in a container
• Pick spineless variety (like Clemson)-some okra can get pokey 

How to Grow Okra Plants From Seedling

• Planting Okra Seedlings 12 inches apart in rows that are 24 inches apart after the soil is consistently above 65-75°F / 18.33-23.89°C

Where to Grow Okra

• SUN: Full sun
• SOIL: Slightly acidic soils ~6pH, well draining soil rich in organic matter
• SIZE for the okra plants:
  • up to 8′ tall x 3′ width
• HARDINESS ZONES: 2-11*

A reader made this comment:

“Okra grows great in the middle of summer, even in Texas heat.”

~John West, retired ironworker; gardener

NOTE: Check out this article on dwarf okra plants for smaller growing okra plants in pots.

How Much Okra to Grow

You can get 10 plants in a 12′ row that’s 3′ wide.

How Much Okra Will Each Plant Produce

The average okra plant will produce around 25 pods per season, more or less. Another estimate is that the average okra plant yields around 9 lbs per season. But of course it depends on the length of your growing season and the ideal conditions for your okra plants.

Okra Plant Yields – Contributions from the Community

• I have 6 plants for a family of 3 , we got between 4-6 pods a day
  ~James Russell
• I have 42 plants. I hope I have a bumper crop. I love okra
  ~Frances Stallings

Cultivating Okra

• Apply a balanced fertilizer at the specified rate
• Apply a 2-4 inch layer of mulch
• Water diligently as needed during dry and hot conditions
• When 24 inches tall, pinch off tip of main stem to cause branching and better yields ^[10]https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/okra
• Be careful weeding and cultivating: Okra roots are shallow and somewhat delicate

Okra Growing Season

• Area dependent – plant after last frost
• Okra takes about 2 months after planting to mature

When to Harvest Okra

• Ongoing, midsummer to early fall
• Harvest okra daily
• 3″ in size is optimum

Once the seed pods start popping out, harvest okra daily, while still small — at around 3-4 inches. Harvesting encourages new pods to keep on growing, plus it helps avoid letting them get too large and thus tough and woody.

Okra is one of those plants that will not reward you with more by letting it grow bigger, so don’t be tempted to.

3 inches is the ideal maximum size for harvesting okra.

Once the pods get bigger, they become tough and inedible and also cause the plant to slow down production. It’s surprising how quickly those okra pods can increase in size! Often, a plant will send out side shoots that produce additional pods.

Okra Plants Are Beautiful Ornamental Plants

Okra is also a good ornamental foodscaping idea for edible landscapes. The unique butter-yellow okra flower with a perfectly contrasting burgundy center, sets it apart as a beautiful plant for its flower alone. Add to that the red okra and orange okra varieties, and you’ve got a lovely edible ornamental plant good for any landscape are or garden.

Jing Orange Okra adds visual delight and height in an edible landscape plant.

Okra – the Queen of the Garden

Our fresh-from-the-garden okra is much enjoyed. At the end of the season, we always wish we’d grown more. So we doubled our okra production and added in a different variety.

Okra Varieties

• Jing Orange – showy red pods, ornamental plant for edible landscapes yard gardens.
• Clemson Spineless okra – (80) is prolific producer, no pokey spines, best picked small
• ‘Perkins Long Pod‘ – very green and extra large pods
• Alabama Red‘ – high germination rate, unique, red-tinged, fat pods
• Eagle Pass‘ – large pods from Eagle Pass, TX, less slimy variety

Growing Okra in Containers

Since we definitely have limited sunny space, we’re definitely growing okra in pots, like the ‘Baby Bubba‘ and ‘Cajun Delight‘ in large pots.

Check this out if you’re wondering about growing okra in pots! For best results try dwarf okra varieties. 

Choose dwarf varieties of okra for container growing.

Cajun Jewel Dwarf Okra grows to approximate 4′

Dwarf Okra Baby Bubba grows to approximate 4′

How to Cook, Prepare and Season Okra

There are so many ways to prepare okra.

Steamed, boiled, sautéed, in soup, stew or gumbo, stir fry, southern fried or pickled, okra is versatile food that can be prepared in all kinds of ways and all kinds of cuisines.

The simplest and healthiest way to cook okra is to steam them until slightly tender and intensely green.

Okra Recipes

Okra Leaf Recipes

Most people are not fond of the pokey texture of the okra leaves. However, steaming, boiling, sautéing served with lemon juice and olive oil or butter, or added to soups are great ways to prepare okra leaves.

We sauté okra greens with onions in garlic butter. If you want to make a soup, then add boiled potatoes and broth for a quick and easy potato soup with chopped okra greens. If you want it creamy, just add a little milk and pureed all or partially using a hand blender.

Find more quick and easy okra leaf recipes on our family’s recipe website, and this hardy Vegetable Beef Soup With Okra.

Okra Coffee Substitute

Okra seeds can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute, similar to chicory, barley, and dandelion roots. ^[11]https://www.instructables.com/id/Coffee-From-Okra-Seeds/

Delicious and nutritious, okra is another wonderful food with many health benefits.

Dried Okra

Many love to lightly coat okra in olive oil, salt and pepper and then dehydrate it. People swear by dried okra or okra chips as being a delicious snack that’s better than potato chips!

Okra Steamed with Dressing

Serve steamed okra with a little balsamic vinegar, or if you prefer, some Italian dressing, or butter, or Texas Pete’s hot sauce. The best! There’s also a fantastic Indian curry dish called Bhindi Masala which we prepare on special occasions.

Okra Soup, Stew and Gumbo

A favorite addition to Southern-style soups and stews, okra is well known as a staple in gumbo and of course, is a delight when breaded and fried. For a healthier version, try rolling in cornmeal and baking in the oven or air cooker.

All kinds of recipes can be found on line and in many hard copy cookbooks. 

Pickled Okra

Pickled okra is easy to make for “putting up” and it can even be grilled alongside your favorite entree.

Those of you who are fans of okra but have yet to grow it should know the taste quickly diminishes after harvest. What you buy at the store is tasteless compared to fresh okra out of the garden. So, if you have the space and fair soil conditions, why not grow some? Even some of the “never okra” crowd might reconsider if they try it fresh and cooked so the “ewwwy” stuff is minimized.

Okra Recipes From the GardensAll Community

Roasted Corn and Okra

Recipe and Image by Michael Hamori

Preheat oven to 250℉

Ingredients:

Quantities: use approximately equal amounts of each… vary according to your preferences and how much you have on hand.

• Okra – sliced into 1/4-1/2″ slices (1 centimeter)
• Corn on the cob – fresh, scraped corn from cob into a bowl (You can use frozen but nothing beats fresh)
• Red bell pepper – finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Seasoned pepper, to taste
• Cumin (optional; good if you want a Mexican flare)
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Instructions:

1. Toss all these ingredients together into a large bowl.
2. Spread over a greased cookie sheet
3. Roast at 350℉ until the corn starts to brown on top, (about 15 minutes). So yummy!

YUMMY! Thanks, Michael!

If you’d like to share your favorite okra recipe/s with photos send an email or post on the GardensAll Facebook page. If you can, please include a photo.

How to Prepare Okra — More from the Community

First, let’s consider the beneficial uses of okra slime:

I hate okra, but I love it pureed in soups as a thickener. Just no slimy bites. Just blanch and freeze cut okra. Then throw the frozen okra in the blender with some broth. Pour into soup and simmer.
~Dawn Tyler

How to Reduce Okra Slime

Tomato also takes the slime away.
~Sandra DisneyJean Smith 

If you don’t care for the slime. Freeze it. Add to stews, soups and I like okra and tomatoes over rice. Frozen okra isn’t slimy.
~Jean Smith

A little vinegar stops the slime.
Debra Wamble Cremean

Boiled Okra

And some like the mucilaginous properties of okra, AKA the “slime”, which typically is only released when boiled on its own or in soup.

Butter Beans With Okra

Drop small okra pods in a pot of green butter beans and cook until tender (slimy) delicious!
~Frances Stallings

Condiments and Toppings for Okra – Favorites from the Community

• Butter
• Soy Sauce
• Splash of white vinegar

Dehydrated Okra

I like okra dehydrated the best. I eat it like potato chips.
~Sherry Welch

Fried Okra

Healthy Fried Okra With Potatoes (and Controlling Diabetes Without Meds)!

We love that Kathy is successfully controlling her diabetes without meds through healthy eating, and thanks to her for sharing her fried okra

I eat low carb to control diabetes without meds so I don’t coat the okra with anything. I use about 2 Tbl avocado oil on med-high heat, add cubed potatoes and okra. Stir until lightly brown and put lid on, turn heat down to steam for about 10 minutes till potatoes are soft. I only use 1 medium size or 2 small potatoes and about 2-3 cups okra. It feeds family of 4 as side dish.
~Kathy MorganBetty Kesinger

Jiffy Cornbread Mix Coating for Fried Okra

I was going to fry okra one evening, discovered I didn’t have cornmeal. Opened a box of jiffy cornbread muffin mix. I added my garlic powder, onion powder, salt pepper and a pinch of Cajun seasoning and fried it. My family loves it fried this way. They love the Jiffy cornbread muffin mix a lot better than just cornmeal.
~Anita Branham

Grilled Okra

Learn to grill it. Coat/spray with olive oil. Season to choice. Grill to preferred level of doneness. I use 2 wooden skewers parallel with 8-12 3″ pods. Whole pods to include stem cap skewered perpendicular to pod length. 2 skewers for ease of turning.  Tell ’em Pigman sent ya”. 
~Stephen Montgomery Thompson

How to Freeze Okra for Frying

I pick it, slice into rounds and dredge in cornmeal after a shallow bath in buttermilk. Freeze on a cookie sheet in a single layer. When frozen, I transfer it to a freezer ziplock bag. Easy way to pull out and fry the amount needed.
~Tammy Anding White

It is easiest to have a gallon freezer bag with salt, pepper, flour and meal. Your first picking of okra is washed and cut up and thrown into bag. Shake it up and throw in freezer. In a couple of days on the next picking, cut it up and throw into the bag.
~Clark Chapman

Okra Omelette

I made an omelet for lunch and used the 2 spears of okra that I picked this morning…it gave the omelet a wonderful taste plus an interesting texture.

I added a tomato from my garden. Most times I use onion, garlic, bell peppers and celery..sometimes salsa. But today. Just eggs butter tomato and okra..my fav so far..is okra addicting? Lol. I did sift a bit of salt and pepper.

I’ll use okra in my omelets again.
~Jennifer Ladd, gardener, college & Montessori teacher in Ohio

Patties

I have made okra patties out of it. Slice okra, than boil in water with salt and pepper. After it looks mushy (slimy), add cornmeal to thicken it to a thick batter. Form patties, then fry in hot oil. Yummy!
~Pam Fleming

Shake and Bake Okra, Onions and Potatoes With Cornmeal

Try using chopped onions mixed with cubes of potato as well as fresh cut okra, seasoned to taste with salt\pepper, then rolled in cornmeal and fried together in fresh oil until browned.

All gets rolled in meal, even better if you mix all in bowl, add buttermilk to dampen the combination, then roll In meal, for easy clean up use brown paper bag and shake combination to coat. Throw bag away after coating. Yum!
~Betty Richardson

Sauteed Okra

Okra…I LOVE IT!!! We eat it whole (no cutting) in a mixture of sautéed (in lite olive oil) onion, fresh garlic, (bacon optional), canned or fresh chopped tomatoes. After all the above is sautéed and cooked through, throw in some whole okra and simmer til barely cooked.Very good and very healthy. Top with shredded cheddar cheese: optional. 
~Marla Baum, Anderson, CA

Smoked and Dehydrated Okra

Smoked and dried/dehydrated.
~Julia Allen

Steamed Okra

Lightly steamed, topped with your favorite topping.

I love lightly steamed young okra! Sprinkle with a tiny bit of soy sauce and HEAVEN!
~Cindi Hedgepeth

Grow Okra Microgreens

This feels like one of those infomercials where the host says, “But wait, there’s more!!!” But indeed… there is. When you can be enjoying fresh okra, you can still grow microgreens or sprouts using okra seeds!

To learn vastly more about okra, you may enjoy this book:

The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration, by Chris Smith, executive director of the Utopian Seed Project.

Wishing you great gardens and happy harvests!