Okra

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

, Spider mites

Spider mites

Tetranychidae

Fine pale stippling in hot, dusty, dry weather. Visible webbing means you are already late.

, Stink bugs

Stink bugs

Shield-shaped bugs that pierce fruit, leaving dimples and hard spots.

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Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

,

to keep them in check — plant nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Okra indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 45 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 65 days.

Okra seed rarely stays viable beyond 3 years — track what's still worth sowing.

Companion Planting

• 
  Red Mustard
  

  Red MustardGreat pair

  • ❧Red Mustard attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly and more that attack Okra
  • ❧Red Mustard suppresses pests that trouble Okra
  • ❧Red Mustard draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
• 
  Wasabina
  

  WasabinaGreat pair

  • ❧Wasabina attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly and more that attack Okra
  • ❧Wasabina suppresses pests that trouble Okra
  • ❧Wasabina draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
• 
  Wild Garlic
  

  Wild GarlicGreat pair

  • ❧Wild Garlic attracts Hoverflies, which prey on the Aphids that attack Okra
  • ❧Wild Garlic draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Wild Garlic acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Okra

How to grow Okra

1. Sow6 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space45 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~65 days

Water: Medium · Height: 150 cm · Soil: Rich, well-draining, warm — needs heat