Germinating Okra Seeds Indoors

• 1). Fill a bowl with lukewarm water from the tap. Place the okra seeds in the bowl and and soak for two hours. Remove the seeds from the water and lay them on a paper towel to dry.
  
  
• 2). Fill 2-inch peat pots with seed-starting mix. Peat pots are made of a biodegradable material that can be planted directly into the ground where it will decompose as the plant matures. Using peat pots for okra eliminates the chance of damaging the roots when transplanting them out into the field.
  
  
• 3). Plant two seeds in each pot, 1 inch deep and about 1/2 inch apart. Soak the pots until the soil is damp all the way through. Keep the pot damp by adding water when the soil begins to feel dry on top. Place the pots in a greenhouse or indoors in a sunny area where the temperature is consistently above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
  
  
• 4). Place the pots in an area where the temperature is between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit when the seedlings emerge from the soil. Water once or twice a week to keep the soil damp all the way through the pot. Remove the weaker of the two seedlings from each pot when the okra shoots are 1 inch tall.
  
  
• 5). Transplant the seedlings outdoors into well-draining fertile soil in full-sun when they are 3 to 4 inches tall. Postpone transplanting until two weeks after the last frost date and the air temperature is consistently above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Dig holes 6 inches apart and large enough to bury the peat pot completely.
  
  
• 6). Soak the soil to a depth of 2 inches after planting the peat pots outside. Water every seven to 10 days by soaking the soil to a depth of 4 inches around each plant.
  
  

Germinating Okra Seeds Outdoors

• 1). Fill a bowl with lukewarm water, place the seeds in the water and soak for two hours. Remove the seeds and set to dry on a paper towel.
  
  
• 2). Prepare the planting bed. Apply a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer over the area at a rate of 2 lb. for every 100 square feet. Dig the fertilizer into the soil.
  
  
• 3). Plant the seeds when the soil and air temperature are consistently above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Make holes 1 inch deep and about the width of your index finger. Place one seed in each hole and cover it with soil. Space the seeds 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
  
  
• 4). Water the area after planting the seeds until the soil is damp to a depth of 2 inches. Water once a week, soaking the soil until it is damp to a depth of 4 inches from the germination and growing period through harvest time.