Starting Okra Seeds - First time gardener

10 years ago

Hello everybody!

I am a first time gardener...after dabbling with a handful of tomato plants that were given to me a few months ago, I have been aggressively researching gardening information and I am anxious to start an expansive vegetable garden this fall. Naturally, I was too anxious to wait that long, so I ordered some okra seeds (red and green), figuring that if anything is suited to start in the 90 degree daily temperatures that we're having here in West Central Florida, it would be okra.

I have seen that it is highly recommended to direct sow okra seeds. I want to grow these in pots, because the area that I've reserved for my gardens aren't ready yet, and I'm not equipped to bring in the amount of soil (or non-soil? Since I intend on going with Mel's Mix)...so I have just a few questions for you experts.

1) Have you had success growing okra in containers? Would it be much more productive to find a way to get them directly in the ground?

2) What size pot would I need to support a full-grown okra plant if I plan to sow directly into, and leave it in the same pot?

3) Would it be wise to sow directly into a pot and set up the pots in normal growing preferences? i.e., the scorching direct sunlight of our "wonderful" Florida summers.

Any help, tips, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I look forward to sharing experiences with you all!

- Brian

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Comments (10)

shuffles_gw
10 years ago
I don't plant okra in the ground any more. It only encourages nematodes. Last year I had two 65 gallon containers with six plants in each and had very good production. This year I added a 30 gallon container and so far the five in that one are producing well. I guess one plant per five gallon container would do ok - but I haven't tried that.
BrianDorry55
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you shuffles...that's a good point, I forgot for a second that they have bad nematode problems...

Do you start yours from seed? If so, do you have any tips in that regard?
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
10 years ago
Hi - I started my okra this year in peat/paper biodegradable pots - not the itty-bitty 1s, but the medium size 1s they had @ Target. I use Jiffy seed-starting mix.

Okra roots are sensitive & suffer if disturbed too much - hence the nematode probs; I gently sliced & removed some of the sides of the pots when planting.

Plants are in the ground in my garden beds & almost 3' tall right now - just beginning to produce. I add lots of compost/organic material + rabbit food pellets + organic fertilizer when setting them out. They are mulched w/ coastal hay & alfalfa.

FWIW, I always water transplants, soaking the roots w/ seaweed extract (Maxicrop) , which seems to help as well.

HTH
shuffles_gw
10 years ago
Brian,

I just plant directly in the containers where they are to grow. I put the seeds about 3/4 inch deep and keep watered. If you have good seed, they are easy to grow. They can get pretty tall, so if you plant in 5 gallon containers you might want to consider some sort of anchoring system so they don't blow over.

This post was edited by shuffles on Fri, Jun 21, 13 at 13:02
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
10 years ago
If you soak your okra seeds in hot water overnight before you plant you will have excellent germination. I grew both red and green varieties last year and they did great.
muscledbear
10 years ago
I direct sowed my seeds about a month ago. I use these large storage containers (with holes drilled in the bottom) they cost me about 8 bucks at Walmart or Home Depot. I have drip irrigation lines in all my plants.

They get full scorching sun from about 10am thru sunset.

I am planning on thinning these to about 4 okra plants per container. I have sweet potatoes growing underneath and over the sides.

I've had great luck growing all the veggies this way. containers are cheap and large enough to hold water through the day without drying. The drip irrigation on an automatic timer gives water if i am here or not..
BrianDorry55
Original Author
10 years ago
Muscledbear - If I have plants that look like that a month from now, I'll be thrilled!

Thank you all for your help and input...I think I will direct sow into individual 5 gallon pots (maybe experiment with something like muscledbear has going on above and see what does better...I can also put them in different spots in relation to how much, and what time of the day they're receiving full sun and if the plants in a certain area start to do better, then I'll put them all in that spot.

I'll keep you all posted!
squirrelwhispererpup
10 years ago
I have Dwarf Green Long Pod and Stewarts Zeebest in smart pots and they are doing better than when I used to put them in the ground. The Zeebest have leaves that are a foot in diameter. They also form branches which bear pods (mine have just begun to branch and flower) so they bear more per plant then straight up okra varieties. I had to order the seeds online, they are not always easy to find, and they start out slow. But now with the heat on, they are growing into little okra monsters. Their trunks are more than an inch in diameter. I have 3 of the DGLP in one 15 gallon pot and 2 zeebest per 15 gallon pot (total of four zeebest in 2 pots). I just direct seeded into the pots because I don't like the chore of hardening off transplants. I've seen a little contraption that is supposed to make seedling pots out of newspaper which would be plantable directly into the garden at the right time without having to touch the roots at all. If I were going to go the transplant route, that's probably what I would do, but I found that direct seeding just suited me better.
shuffles_gw
10 years ago
squirrel...
That Zeebest sounds like a good variety for container growing. I've been growing Clemson Spineless. Considering the plants start off two feet from the ground, by the time they are six to eight feet tall, it can be difficult to pick the okra. Please let us know how they do and post photos if you can.
BrianDorry55
Original Author
10 years ago
I have Clemson 80 Spineless and Burgundy Okra both from High Mowing Seeds that I ordered online...I'm going to plant them this week...and then probably more when I plant my beds for the Fall to see how they do then...I'll post pictures and updates. Thank you all.

Starting Okra Seeds - First time gardener

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shuffles_gw

BrianDorry55
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Starting Okra Seeds - First time gardener

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