How to Start Okra Seeds

Use okra pods for cooking.

Cultivation and use of okra in recipes is popular in many countries around the world. Add the young pods of the okra plant to gumbo, soups and stew, or slice, batter and fry. Belonging to the hibiscus and hollyhock family, the okra plant also has ornamental value in backyard gardening. Adding okra to your garden gives you another source for vitamin C, magnesium and fiber from the immature pods used in recipes.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh okra seed
• Buttermilk or weak vinegar (optional)
• Stakes
• String
• Small hand shovel or hoe

Instructions

1. 

   Soak the okra seed in a bowl.

   Soak fresh okra seed for 24 hours before planting for faster germination. Use water, buttermilk or a weak vinegar solution for soaking. Okra seed does not germinate well when using older seed. Seed from the previous growing season, prepared for the current season, germinates at the highest percentage rate.

2. 

   Choose an area with full sun.

   Chose a planting area that receives full sun and is moderately moist. The minimal growth temperature for okra is 65 degrees Fahrenheit; 75 to 90 degrees F is optimal.

3. 

   Create rows for seeds.

   Make rows in the soil 18 to 24 inches apart, depending on okra variety, with your garden hoe or shovel by making a "V" shape into the soil about 1 inch deep in one long line. Achieve a straight row by using a stake at each end of the row, tying string to one stake, pulling taut, and tying the other end to the second stake to guide you.

4. 

   Seedlings will emerge.

   Plant your soaked okra seeds 1 inch deep by spacing a seed in the bottom of the "V" every 4 to 6 inches, two weeks after all danger of frost in your area. Thin to leave the strongest plant at 12 inch intervals when 4 inches tall. Okra seed will not germinate without moisture. Water if necessary, keeping seeds moist until germination, usually six days to two weeks.

Tips & Warnings

• Different varieties of okra seed may have different spacing requirements.

• Fertilize at least once with nitrogen after thinning.

• Buy seed packaged for the current growing year or save heirloom seed from last year's okra. Older seed carries the risk of poor germination.

References

• University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural resources: Grow It Eat It- Okra
• University of Illinois Extension: Watch Your Garden Grow- Okra

Resources

• Department of Physiology, UW-Madison: All About Okra