Is Okra Coming Back Next Year?

If you want to know if your okra is coming back next year, you’ll need to plant it later in the growing season. Frost is okra’s worst enemy, but that doesn’t mean you should throw it out completely. A little research will help you make the best decision for your garden. It’s also worth keeping in mind that okra can be planted later in the season than you might think.

You should plant okra seeds at the end of summer so that you’ll have a supply next year. Okra is drought-tolerant, but you should still water them frequently. You can snap off the stems, but you may need a harvesting knife. You should also be aware that most okra varieties have fuzzy spines that can be irritating to the skin. Choose a variety with fewer spines for easy picking. The most widely planted variety is Clemson Spineless, while the Burgundy Variety produces dark red pods that turn green when cooked.

Some varieties of okra are a bit more difficult to grow than others, so you need to grow enough to have an ample supply. If you are growing okra in the spring, you should wait until the pods are about three inches long. The larger the pod, the tougher it will be to pick, so you should pick them before they get too large. If you’re planting okra in the fall, you should plant the seeds about 500 feet apart so that they’ll have time to form seeds.