For additional information, see 'Okra Varieties'. Production techniques are rather straightforward, however, this crop is best established by transplants. Okra does not tolerate wet, poorly-drained soils. Individual flowers open on the plants for a day or so and then fruit pods are set. Fruit is ready for harvest 4-6 days after flowering.
Frequent harvests ensure continuous fruit set.
Okra will not tolerate frost, and damage will be visible on the pods as water-soaked, sunken areas. The main production areas in North America are Texas, California and Florida. The crop was harvested 15 times during the growing season starting on July 14th and continuing to September 25th. One of the main advantages of this crop is that there are very few serious insect pests or disease problems to contend with in the this part of the country. This information is provided as a public service, but we cannot guarantee that the information is current or accurate.