Okra Donation Tracker

Quick Links: How & Where to Grow | Temperature | How to Care For | Harvest Signs | Harvesting | Pruning | Pests | Companions | Varieties | Preservation | Recipes | Michigan Tips | Fun Facts

🌱 How & Where to Grow Okra:

• Start indoors 4-6 weeks early or direct seed when soil reaches 70°F.
• Space plants 12-18 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart – okra grows tall!
• Soak seeds overnight before planting to improve germination.
• Plant seeds 1 inch deep in warm soil.
• Sunlight: Full sun (8+ hours) absolutely essential.
• Soil Type: Well-drained soil with pH 6.0-7.0.
• Soil Amendment: Rich in organic matter but tolerates poor soil better than most vegetables.

Okra is truly a heat-loving challenge in Michigan – success requires maximizing every warm day!
 

🌡️ Temperature Guidance:

Critical 70°F minimum soil. Needs 80-95°F days.

• Planting: Wait for consistent 70°F+ soil temperature – usually early June.
• Germination: Seeds won’t germinate below 65°F.
• Optimal growth: 85-95°F days with warm nights above 65°F.
• Growth completely stops below 60°F.
• Even light frost kills okra plants instantly.

In Michigan, think of okra as a July-August crop that needs every heat trick available!
 

💧 How to Care for:

• Consistent Moisture: Maintain even soil moisture but avoid overwatering.
• Watering: 1 inch weekly – okra is surprisingly drought-tolerant once established.
• Black Plastic Mulch: Essential in Michigan to warm soil and retain heat.
• Fertilizer: Side-dress monthly with balanced fertilizer once flowering begins.
• Support: Stake tall varieties in windy locations – plants can reach 6 feet!

📏 Harvest Signs:

2-4 inches long, 4-6 days after flowering. Daily harvest essential.

• Pods grow incredibly fast – check plants DAILY once production starts!
• Best quality when 2-4 inches long and bright green.
• Pods should snap easily when bent.
• Larger pods become tough and fibrous quickly.
• Harvest every 1-2 days to maintain production.

Missing just one day of harvest can result in woody, inedible pods!
 

🧺 Harvesting:

Cut with knife or pruners. Wear gloves and long sleeves – pods are prickly!

• Always cut rather than pull to avoid damaging plants.
• Harvest in morning when pods are crisp and cool.
• Use gloves – many varieties have spines that irritate skin.
• Regular harvesting stimulates more flower production.
• Don’t let pods mature – overripe pods signal plant to stop producing.

✂️ Pruning:

Top plants at 24 inches to encourage branching. Remove lower leaves as they yellow.

• Topping: When plants reach 24 inches, pinch growing tip to encourage side shoots.
• Lower leaf removal: Improves air circulation and reduces disease.
• Late season: Remove growing tips 4 weeks before frost to ripen existing pods.
• Damaged pods: Remove any that you miss to maintain production.
• Side shoots: Each produces additional flowers and pods.

🪲 Michigan Pests:

Aphids, Japanese beetles, corn earworms, root-knot nematodes.

• Aphids: Cluster on growing tips – blast off with water.
• Japanese beetles: Skeletonize leaves – hand-pick or use row covers.
• Corn earworms: Bore into pods – check regularly and destroy affected pods.
• Fusarium wilt: Soil disease – rotate crops and choose resistant varieties.
• Generally fewer pest problems than most vegetables due to tough leaves.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 Companions:

Good with peppers, eggplant, basil, cosmos.

• Other heat lovers share similar growing requirements.
• Basil may help repel aphids and other pests.
• Cosmos attract beneficial insects.
• Radishes can be planted early in okra space.
• Avoid planting near vine crops that might shade okra.

🌿 Varieties:

‘Red Burgundy’ (55 days), ‘Clemson Spineless’, ‘Annie Oakley’ (52 days).

• ‘Annie Oakley’: 52 days, compact 4 feet, heavy yields, good for Michigan.
• ‘Clemson Spineless’: 56 days, classic variety, less prickly, 4-5 feet tall.
• ‘Red Burgundy’: 55 days, ornamental red pods, 5 feet tall.
• ‘Jambalaya’: 50 days, very early, good for short seasons.
• ‘Baby Bubba’: 53 days, dwarf 3-4 feet, perfect for containers.

🫙 Preservation:

Freeze blanched. Dry. Pickle. Pressure can.

• Freezing: Blanch whole small pods 3 minutes, slice and blanch 2 minutes.
• Pickling: Traditional Southern pickled okra – stays crispy.
• Drying: Slice and dehydrate for soups and stews.
• Pressure canning: Only in tested recipes – never water bath.
• Fresh storage: Only 2-3 days in perforated bag in refrigerator.

🧑🏽‍🍳 Recipes:

Gumbo, fried okra, pickled okra, grilled okra, okra curry.

• Classic Louisiana gumbo – okra acts as natural thickener.
• Southern fried okra with cornmeal coating.
• Grilled whole okra with olive oil and sea salt.
• Indian bhindi masala (spiced okra curry).
• Roasted okra chips – healthy alternative to fried.

✋🏼 Michigan Tips:

• Raised beds essential – improves drainage and soil warming.
• Black plastic mulch can increase soil temperature 10°F.
• Warmest location – south-facing, protected from wind.
• Early varieties critical – choose 55 days or less.
• Start indoors in early May for transplanting June 1.
• Row covers early season help trap heat.
• Container growing allows moving to warmest spots.

🧠 Fun Facts:

• Related to hibiscus – flowers are similarly beautiful and edible!
• “Gumbo” comes from ki ngombo, the African word for okra.
• Okra seeds can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.
• Ancient Egyptians cultivated okra along the Nile.
• The sticky juice has been used to strengthen paper and textiles.
• Okra is technically a fruit, not a vegetable.
• World’s longest okra pod measured 20.87 inches!
• Michigan is at the northern limit for okra cultivation – our success is a real achievement!