I'm curious about how many harvests an okra plant can give within a year. Specifically, how often do okra plants regrow so I can harvest from them? I've also heard that a hectare can yield around 10 to 15 metric tonnes. Is that just for one season, or does that apply to the entire year?
4 Answers
Okra thrives in heat and keeps on producing. We planted about five plants for just three of us, and now we've got a ton frozen! They grew over 5 feet tall, though it's important to harvest daily; otherwise, the pods can turn woody and are less enjoyable to eat.
When spacing out the plants more, I've noticed they develop a lot of side stems each with their own flowers. In warmer weather, you can see 1 or more pods per plant each day. From seed to harvest is about 60 days, and then you can continue until it cools down. Here on the gulf coast, I plant in April, and by June I'm harvesting, continuing until fall. You might get 100 to 200 pods from each plant in a year!
I don't have the exact figures, but with the right care, I can typically get about 1 to 3 okra pods every day from each plant over a good six-month stretch. They really are consistent producers!
Typically, okra plants are quite productive! During the growing season, which is usually around 2 to 4 months, you can keep harvesting as long as you pick the pods almost daily. Each plant might produce anywhere from 1kg to 2kg in that time. Just keep on top of the picking, and they'll keep producing!