Growing okra
Abelmoschus esculentus · also called BhindiA hot weather vegetable grown for its tender green pods. It is sown straight in the field in spring-summer and in the rains, and needs full sun and no frost.
North-west plains: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh
At a glance
Okra in the North-west plains
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
- Sow
- Harvest
- Under cover
- Today
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-west plains | February to MarchJune to JulyMid-June | April to JuneAugust to October | ||
| Temperate Himalaya | March to JuneApril to MayApril to MayMay | July to September | ||
| Cold desertUnder cover only | Under cover: May, inside a polyhouse | Under cover: July to early September | ||
| Sub-tropical foothills | February to MarchJune to JulyMarch to May | April to JuneAugust to October | ||
| Gangetic plains | February to MarchJanuary to FebruaryJune to JulyJuly to September | |||
| North-east hills and valleys | February to early AprilApril to May | Late April to August | ||
| Arid west | June to JulyFebruary to March | August to October | ||
| Central plateau | June to JulyFebruary to March | August to October | ||
| Deccan plateau | June to JulyJanuary to March | August to October | ||
| South interior | June to JulyLate January to FebruarySeptember to early October | |||
| West coast | February to MarchJune to JulyOctober to November | |||
| East coast | June to JulyLate January to FebruarySeptember |
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure
15 to 20 t per acre
Work it into the soil before sowing.
3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 0
Sow
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
15 to 20 t per acre · Work it into the soil before sowing. · Before sowing
Day 0
Sow
Day 5 to 10
Seeds come up1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 45 to 50
First picking3
Frequent pickings at the peak; 10 to 12 in all
Day 90 to 120
Last picking8
Sow in moist soil. Water first 4 to 5 days after sowing, then every 10 to 12 days; the rainy season crop needs fewer. About 10 to 12 waterings in all. Where saline-sodic groundwater must be used on light soils, alternate it with canal water and mulch with rice straw.3
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1
6 to 6.8
Grows on sandy to clay loam with plenty of organic matter and good drainage. Loose, friable, well manured loam suits it most. Waterlogging harms the crop.
Sunlight1
Full sun. Plenty of sunshine matters for growth and yield.
Temperature1,8
Grows best at 25 to 30 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the North-west plains aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering3
Sow in moist soil. Water first 4 to 5 days after sowing, then every 10 to 12 days; the rainy season crop needs fewer. About 10 to 12 waterings in all. Where saline-sodic groundwater must be used on light soils, alternate it with canal water and mulch with rice straw.
Weeding3
Hoe 3 or 4 times: first when the seedlings are two weeks old, then every fortnight.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before sowing | Well rotted farmyard manure | 15 to 20 t per acre | Work it into the soil before sowing. |
Varieties and yield
7.5 to 10 tonnes a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Punjab Suhawani
2017; tolerant to yellow vein mosaic.
Punjab-8
1995; resistant to yellow vein mosaic, tolerant to jassid and borer; February-March and June-July sowing.
Punjab-7
1986; resistant to yellow vein mosaic; February-March and June-July sowing.
Punjab Padmini
1982; field tolerant to yellow vein mosaic; spring and rainy season.
Good neighbours5
Grows well with
Pests and diseases3
Organic and cultural controls only.
Jassid (Amrasca biguttula)
Signs
From May to September; leaves yellow and curl at the edges, turn pale to bronze and drop early. Green nymphs and adults under the leaves.
What to do
- Spray PAU homemade neem extract (4 kg of neem shoot tips, leaves and fruits boiled in 10 litres of water for 30 minutes, then strained) at 2 litres in 100 to 125 litres of water an acre, or a commercial neem product.
- Pick all fruits before spraying.
Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)
Signs
Worst from July to September; sucks sap and leaves sticky honeydew that turns black with sooty mould.
What to do
- Spray PAU neem extract or a commercial neem product.
- Clear weeds on bunds, waste land, roadsides and channels.
Prevention
- Watch the crop and nearby host crops regularly.
- Avoid synthetic pyrethroid sprays, which make whitefly worse.
Spotted bollworm (Earias species)
Signs
From May to September; shoots droop and dry, pods have holes.
What to do
- Remove attacked fruits regularly and bury them deep.
Prevention
- Uproot hollyhock and ratooned cotton nearby, which host the bollworm.
Red spider mite
Signs
Mites suck the leaves, causing webbing, dead patches and leaf drop.
What to do
- Spray PAU dharek extract (4 kg of dharek branches, leaves and fruits boiled in 10 litres of water for 30 minutes, then strained) at 1.6 litres in 100 litres of water an acre.
Yellow vein mosaic
Signs
Veins turn yellow first, then all the leaves; fruiting drops.
What to do
- Keep whitefly, the carrier, in check.
Prevention
- Sow resistant varieties: Punjab Padmini, Punjab-7, Punjab-8.
Damping off (Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium)
Signs
Seedlings die before or just after they come up.
What to do
- Use healthy seed.
Cercospora leaf spot
Signs
Small brown to sooty black spots, bounded by veins, on both sides of the leaves; leaves drop early.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Keep at least 200 m between two varieties, because okra often crosses. Walk the seed crop before flowering, at flowering and fruiting, and before harvest, and pull out off-types and diseased plants. In the Punjab plains the seed crop is sown flat in mid-June at 60 x 25 cm.
When the seed is ready
The seed crop matures in 90 to 100 days. Pods ripen unevenly, so pick them dry and brown in 3 or 4 rounds.
Cleaning the seed
Dry the picked pods in the sun, thresh them and clean the seed.
Dry the seed well in the sun before storing. Keep it in airtight containers in a cool, dry place; it keeps well for a year or two.
After the last picking3
In Punjab okra fits rotations such as potato, then okra (March to July), then early cauliflower; or cauliflower, tomato, then okra (May to September). In root-knot nematode fields, use cauliflower, onion, then okra.
Pull out and destroy plants and residues carrying mites or borers straight after the last picking. Healthy residues can go to the compost heap.
Rotation
Do not follow okra with another crop of the mallow family (cotton, hollyhock). Rotate with cereals, which also lowers root-knot nematodes. In Punjab, potato, okra and early cauliflower follow one another in a year; in nematode fields, cauliflower, onion and then okra.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2020 (Bhindi/Okra)Directorate of Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of JammuRead the source
- Organic farming practices: bhendi, harvesting and post-harvestTamil Nadu Agricultural University, TNAU Agritech PortalRead the source
- Package of Practices for Cultivation of Vegetables 2021 (Okra)Punjab Agricultural University, LudhianaRead the source
- Production Technology of Vegetables and Flowers (VSF-231), Part I: Vegetable production (Okra)CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture)Read the source
- AESA based IPM package: OkraNational Institute of Plant Health Management and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Government of IndiaRead the source
- Bhendi: sowing (Horticulture, vegetables)Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, TNAU Agritech PortalRead the source
- Organic farming practices: bhendi, climate and soilTamil Nadu Agricultural University, TNAU Agritech PortalRead the source
- Organic farming practices: bhendi, cultivationTamil Nadu Agricultural University, TNAU Agritech PortalRead the source
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