How to Transplant Okra

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) produces edible pods beginning 90 days after transplanting. The plants don't tolerate freezes and only grow well when temperatures are above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's best to grow seedlings indoors for later transplanting into the garden. The sensitive roots of the okra plant don't tolerate disturbance. It's necessary to grow the seedlings in peat pots to minimize transplant disturbance; the pots are planted directly in the garden and decompose as the plant grows.

10-10-10 fertilizer
Spade
Trowel

Instructions

- 1
  Set okra seedlings outdoors one week before transplanting and after all frost danger has passed. Bring the seedlings inside at night or if a frost is predicted. Setting them outside in their pots helps them adjust to outdoor conditions so they experience less shock after transplanting, a process known as hardening off.
- 2
  Apply 1/2 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer over every 25 square feet of a well-drained garden bed that receives full sun. Mix the fertilizer with the top six inches of soil by turning it in with a spade.
- 3
  Dig the planting holes 1/2 inch deeper than the okra pots. Space the holes 18 inches apart in rows set 24 inches apart.
- 4
  Tear the rim off the peat pot so it is level with the soil inside. Set the entire pot in the hole so the top edge is just beneath the surrounding soil surface. Peat wicks moisture out of the soil if it protrudes above the soil surface.
- 5
  Fill the hole in with soil and make sure the pot rim is covered. Water immediately to settle the soil around the pots. Provide about one inch of water or enough to moisten the top six inches of soil.
- 6
  Continue to water once weekly, supplying about one inch of water at each irrigation.

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