Best Fertilizer for Okra: A How to Growing Guide

Whether you’re a first time gardener or an old hat, we have the best fertilizer for okra in your home garden. Not only that, we have a complete growing guide too.

The Best Fertilizer for Okra

Like most every other garden vegetable, the best fertilizer for okra is simply nutrient-dense soil. Okra can grow in just about anything, including desert sand, and they’ll still fruit. 

However, for the very best, most fruitful okra plants, plant them in compost. You’ll end up with okra “trees.” I like compost because it continuously adds to soil structure in the garden.

If you’re looking for something more than compost for successful okra production, there are plenty of fertilizers that you can find in your local garden center.

Organic Fertilizer

Fish emulsion and aged chicken litter are good organic fertilizers for maximum plant growth. However, plant growth doesn’t always equal fruiting.

I return to this slow-release fertilizer time and again for most everything in my garden, okra included. For this reason, Epsoma Plant Tone seems to be the best fertilizer for okra.

Chemical Fertilizers

Using manufactured, chemical-based products in the garden is not the best fertilizer for okra. It typically contains too many salts and can damage soil.

However, okra will appreciate an all purpose, well-balanced fertilizer such as a 13-13-13 or 10-10-10 when used sparingly. Either of these are sure to yield you lots of okra pods for picking.

Scheduling the Best Fertilizer for Okra

Okra doesn’t need a whole lot of essential nutrients to be fruitful. At the beginning of your growing season, go ahead and add nutrients to your soil, whether it be organic or chemical fertilizer. It should be fine for the rest of the growing season.

If you find that you’re still building soil in new garden beds, or you just aren’t seeing enough pods growing, you can certainly add fertilizer. Just sprinkle a bit at the base of the plant. 

Watering After Using the Best Fertilizer for Okra

After fertilizing your okra, make sure that you water in the nutrients. The best way to do this is to put out fertilizer before expecting rain.

Okra is extremely forgiving when it comes to water. You can over water or under water, and it’ll still produce for you. For best results though, err on the side of keeping moist soil for your okra plants.

Planting Okra

Okra grows best in full sun during warm weather.  Wait until well after the danger of frost has passed for your region. The best time to direct sow your okra seeds is after soil temperatures stay consistently warm. 

Start with well-drained soil and amend your garden beds with your fertilizer of choice. I prefer to top my beds with fresh compost, so that I start with lots of organic matter. Then, I’ll add a granular fertilizer.

Plant seeds about an inch deep in moistened soil. Be sure to keep soil watered well until your seeds have germinated.

When planning the right spot for growing okra in my garden, I like to use it for shade for other smaller plants. This helps me create a microclimate in my full sun garden because okra grows as an upright plant. As the sun tracks across the sky, the okra plants cast a shade on one side and then the other.

Proper Spacing

Okra have extensive root systems, so planting them at least 12-18 inches apart is best. Space rows at least 3 feet apart. 

If you plant too close together, you’ll have to offer them extra water, and they still may become stunted.

Spacing them further than recommended is even better. This isn’t a plant that I’d try to densely plant.

Growing Okra in Containers

You can absolutely grow okra in containers, but they will need to be large containers. Think deep. Eighteen inches is the minimum depth for okra. 

Five gallon buckets work really well. Just be sure to drill holes in the buckets for drainage before filling them with soil.

Remember that containers will go through more water and lose nutrients faster. You may need to fertilize your okra in containers a couple of times during the growing season.

Okra Varieties

Check with your local extension office to see what varieties it recommends for your area. My favorites are Clemson Spineless and Emerald. I’m also going to try Annie Oakley II this year. They are all open-pollinated cultivars so that I can save the seeds for planting the following year.

I’ve grown Red Burgundy, Motherland, and Jing Orange varieties too, but I didn’t care for them. I found that they become woody and unpalatable far too quickly. We got very few edible pods off of these kinds of plants.

Whatever variety you choose, you may want to consider the spineless kinds. These were developed in the early 1930s and have since become stabilized into heirlooms. Before spineless okra was available, gardeners had to deal with little thorny bits on the plants and pods of their okra plants.

Pruning Okra Plants

​For maximum pod production, you can cut the tops off of your young plants when they’re about three feet tall. This is called ratooning, and it will encourage your okra plants to bush out more. More branches will equal more pods.

Additionally, prune off any dead, lower branches and leaves away from your plants.

Harvest Time

​Okra really begins cranking out fruit in late summer. It’s so hot in Florida’s July and August, and okra is one of the only things that we can rely on.

Okra is known for seemingly growing inches by the minute. You might check on the pods in the morning and think they aren’t ready. Then you check on them again in the evening, and they’re too big.

Too big?

Yes. When okra pods grow to be oversized, they become woody and inedible. Instead, harvest pods when they’re young and tender. Three to four inches long tends to make the perfect pod. Check them daily.

Keep harvesting so that your plants will continue to put out new blooms. Speaking of blooms, the okra plant has a beautiful, yellow, hibiscus-like flower. They are my favorite flowers of the garden, and the pollinators will flock to them.

While it may slow down when your cooler nights arrive, okra will continue to grow all the way until your first frost. 

Storing Okra

After harvesting the okra pods from your vegetable garden, give them a good wash in fresh water. You can store them in the refrigerator for about a week, but you’ll need to use them before they dry up. 

For long term storage, try:

• freezing
• pickling
• fermenting
• dehydrating

1. Freezing is Simple

Cut the tops off of the okra, slice the the pods into 1/2 inch pieces, spread them on a baking sheet, and flash freeze. After they’ve frozen, you can store them in a gallon size freezer bag or vacuum seal them and keep them in the freezer.

​2. Pickled okra 

This one is a family favorite here. Make a basic pickling brine of 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Add a few tablespoons of salt, some garlic cloves, and some dill. Boil the brine, and pour it over your jars stuffed with clean okra pods. If you like spicy, add a hot pepper or two to your jar. 

Secure new lids and rings, and place jars in a waterbath canner. Fill the canner with water so your jars are covered with at least 2 inches of water. Bring the pot to a rolling boil for 15 minutes in pints or 25 minutes in quarts. 

Once the jars have cooled for 12 hours, clean them, label them, and they’re ready to store on the shelf for up to one year. The best flavor comes after the pickled okra has sat for about 2 weeks before eating.

3. Fermenting Okra

 Fermentation is the easiest way to store your okra long term. To make the brine, you need clean, filtered water. You may want to boil your water to sanitize it, and then let it cool to room temperature. You also need to make sure that you use non-chlorinated water. Use non-iodized salt to make a 2.5-3% salt solution.

Add clean okra pods into a clean jar and cover them with the salt brine. You can add garlic, peppers, or whatever seasonings you’d like. Leave a 1 inch headspace in the jar, and weigh the okra down with a fermentation weight. loosely cover the jar and “burp” it daily to release the gasses. 

Alternatively, you can use fermenting lids that automatically release gas buildup from the jar for you.

After around 5-7 days, you should have a nicely fermented product that’ll store for up to six months on the shelf. We store the jars in the refrigerator to stop the fermenting process, and they’ll last longer.

4. Dehydrating​

Drying okra works, but it’s my least favorite way to store it long term. I just don’t love the consistency of the okra once it rehydrates. Then only way I use dehydrated okra is in soups or stews.

To dehydrate, begin by washing the pods and removing the stems. Slice the okra evenly at 1/4 – 1/2 inch long. Spread them out on a dehydrating rack, and follow the manufacturer instructions for your machine.

Make sure that all moisture is removed and they’re crispy, not chewy. Store your dehydrated okra in sealed containers with oxygen absorbers for longer shelf life.

Conclusion, Best Fertilizer for Okra

Did we give you some hope to grow this Southern, warm-season vegetable? Just remember the best fertilizer for okra is an all purpose fertilizer. If you’re in a warmer climate, I hope that you’ll give okra a try in your home vegetable garden. There’s nothing quite like enjoying an immature pod fresh off the plant.

You may also enjoy reading: What is the Best Liquid Fertilizer for Tomatoes? and Different Types of Fertilizer: When and How to Use Them

Happy Growing!

Donna and her family have been homesteading for most of their 20+  years together in some shape or fashion. She currently lives on their 20 acre farm where they grow as much food as possible. What started as a just a few laying hens, has grown into large gardens, pastured poultry, pork, and lamb. They are continuously evolving their small farm to not suit their family’s needs, but also providing to their local community. Donna’s favorite part of the family farm is her self-built micro-dairy, where she gets to love on dairy cows while serving her local community. Milking, cheesemaking, and processing dairy have become the soul of their homestead and the center of their farm.