Divisi
How to grow Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus · Malvaceae
Photo: ADARSHluck · CC BY-SA 4.0
Okra (derere, idelele, lady's finger, gumbo) is a tall, hairy, hot-weather vegetable grown for its tender green pods — the slippery, 'drawing' relish that thickens the pot. It loves heat and forgives poorer soil than most vegetables, but it will not stand cold or wet feet. You sow it straight where it will grow — the taproot hates being moved, so there is no nursery and no second chance at the stand. The seed is hard and slow, sprouting only in warm soil, but once okra starts it pods for months if you keep picking. Okra is really won or lost on three things: weeding early while the plants are small, keeping whitefly and the yellow-vein virus off it, and picking the pods young every 2–3 days. Mind the fine hairs on the pods and the whole plant — they itch, so pick with gloves and long sleeves.
Cheikh cherif · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Rohan Pinto · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Days to maturity
- 45–65 days
- Row spacing
- 53 cm
- Plant spacing in the row
- 38 cm
- Sowing depth
- 2–4 cm
These are general figures for the crop, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. The right choice for your field depends on your soil, rainfall and the yield you are aiming for.
Will okra actually do well on your land? Check your field against every crop in the catalogue — free, no signup. Run the free crop check →
Other names for Okra
okra · okro · lady's finger · gumbo · gombo · kubewa · okwuru · idelele · quiabo · derere · bamia · binda · ila
Working in buckets, bags or paces? The farming glossary turns the measures growers actually use into kilograms and hectares — what a 20 litre bucket of each crop really weighs, and how to size a field by walking it — alongside the Shona, Swahili, Ndebele and Yoruba words used in the field. Open the glossary →
Growing okra, stage by stage
Your okra season, step by step — from a sunny, free-draining bed and soaked seed, through early weeding and the whitefly / yellow-vein-virus fight, to months of picking tender green pods every 2–3 days.
- Get your field and inputs ready
- Plant and get a full stand
- Grow it, weed it, beat the virus
- Flowering — feed and water
- Podding and pod-fill
- Pick, and keep picking
- Cool and sell fresh
19 step-by-step tasks in the app
Every task for okra — what to do, when to do it and why it matters — with the amounts worked out for your own field, reminders as each one falls due, and warnings before extreme weather.
Pests and diseases that attack okra
5 more threats tracked in the app
Divisi tells you which of these is a risk on your okra right now, when to walk the field looking for it, and what to do the moment you find it.
Frequently asked questions
How long does okra take to grow?
Okra takes about 45–65 days from sowing to maturity, though the exact length varies with variety, temperature and how the season runs.
What spacing should I use for okra?
Space okra rows about 53 cm apart, with roughly 38 cm between plants within the row.
How deep should okra be planted?
Sow okra at about 2–4 cm deep. Shallower risks drying out; deeper wastes seed energy before the shoot reaches light.
What pests and diseases attack okra?
The ones covered in this guide are Bollworm complex, Cotton aphid, Jassids (leafhoppers). Each has its own page explaining how to identify, scout for and control it.
Grow okra with a plan, not a guess
Divisi turns this guide into a dated plan for your own field — what to do each week, reminders as tasks fall due, and warnings before extreme weather. Free for farmers, works offline.
Or check your field first