Say OK with okra companion plants! Your exotic-looking vegetable, often called Lady's Finger, would love to be accompanied by the presence of friendly garden crops. If you ask why, it’s because companion plants for okra promote bolstering resistance to pests, better growth and bountiful harvest–living proof that it is indeed merrier when there’s more. We are thrilled to disclose these garden wonders, so don’t hit the close button; stay on this page, and enjoy this specially-made article by our master gardeners!
What Grows Well with Okra
What to plant with okra is a subjective question and is answered depending on your gardening goals. If you just want to make out every inch of your garden, consider planting smaller plants like herbs, as they can thrive in tight spaces. For a backyard with extra plant legroom, medium-sized vegetables and flowers will be happily welcomed by Lady’s Finger.
What Is the Best Companion Plant for Okra?
For roomy gardenscapes, the best plants would be beans as they are capable of enriching nitrogen content in the soil, promoting a chunkier and bigger okra fruit. If space is a constraint, onions or basils are your go-to!
List of Good Companion Plants for Okra
Companion plant for okra is not limited to veggies but rather includes a league of other garden players from fragrant herbs, to even flowers!
Vegetables
Undoubtedly, vegetable companions are garden staples, filling up your barren backyard landscape with nourishing greens!
Beans
If you ask what grows well with okra, our master horticulturists would say beans–all this due to its capacity to team up with root-inhabiting bacterium capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen to a free fertilizer, benefiting itself and your okra! Be it pole beans, bush beans, or peas, you won’t get an incompatibility problem with this protein-rich veggie.
USDA Zone: 2-11
Benefits: Reduce pests, enhance production, low fertilizer input
Cucumber
Cucumber, a refreshing summer veggie, can happily coexist with okra. When planted together, the yield of both crops won’t be affected, according to a study. Just ensure that the vines are neatly tucked and staked to a pyramidal frame to prevent them from entangling your okra’s canopy.
USDA Zone: 4-12
Benefits: Suppress weeds, efficient land use
Herbs
If you are a person who loves to hang out in your garden and in your kitchen, herbs are the group of plants that you should not forget!
Basil
When it comes to companion planting okra, basils are the frontliners defending your patch from herbivorous insects, thanks to their sweet smell that thwarts the pest’s presence. In addition, they are easy to grow and great herbs to level up your culinary creations!
USDA Zone: 10-11
Benefits: Low-maintenance, conserves soil moisture
Onion
If you plant a row of onions in between okra’s, you have just made pest-resilient, erosion-proof soil, and a more sustainable garden! This is all because onions are content with tiny spaces, staying neutral, and at the same time throws off potential crop critters.
USDA Zone: 3-9
Benefits: Weed control, conserves soil, pest-deterrent
Flowers
Flower and okra? Who knew?! Discover how these garden consorts help promote auto-regulation in terms of pest resilience.
Sunflower
If you’re looking for an okra companion planting chart, sunflowers are a no-miss! Both plant’s cultivation season coincides with the summer. Their lovely flowers are irresistible to pollinating insects, including birds that can feed on the larvae of okra pests.
USDA Zone: 2-11
Benefits: Additional yield, beautify the garden, promote diversity
Marigold
Old but gold, marigold is an excellent border plant in your okra patch! It serves as an ornamental plant and helps mitigate pest attacks and simultaneously a safe refuge for beneficial insects like wasps and bees.
USDA Zone: 2-11
Benefits: Trap crop for nematodes and okra fruit borer.
Other plants
The following list of companion plants may have debatable compatibility with variable claims. To shed a light on this controversy, learn the truth behind their pros and cons in your garden with the following!
Tomato
Can okra and tomatoes be planted together? Sure do! According to agronomic studies, tomatoes contribute to the increment of the okra’s yield, ensuring that every exposed land is not put to waste, but it comes with caution; they’re a host of okra fruit borer and root-knot nematodes. Of course, this highly varies depending on your region, and the presence of other aromatic plants will help mitigate the continuity of pest cycles.
USDA Zone: 5-8
Benefits: Increased yield, efficient land use, better weed control
Pepper
If you ask, can okra and peppers be planted together? Sharing common botanical ancestry like tomatoes, peppers offer free food for root-knot nematodes and pests, a slight matchmaking demerit. But, “I want peppers so badly!” To not be a saboteur, you can absolutely pair them–concluded to bring some benefits, studies say–but with the adoption of pest-mitigating measures.
USDA Zone: 9-11
Benefits: Reduce weeds, increased yield
Bad Companion Plants for Okra
Some veggies are better not to plant near Lady’s Finger as they can increase the probability of parasite occurrence and affect the yield. Keep in mind the following for your garden planning!
Squash
While squash and other cucurbits (i.e., watermelon, winter melon, cantaloupes) help extend your cropping season to late fall, consider opting for other plants as they help soil-borne pathogens propagate.
Reasons to avoid: Alternate host for nematodes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes, while they are great in controlling weeds and buffering soil erosion, are listed as bad companion plants for okra for the same reason as cucurbits. Plus, if the sweet potatoes are grown in nematode-infested soil, it might not develop tubers at all.
Reasons to avoid: Alternate host of nematode and okra fruit borer
What Is the Best Spacing for Okra?
Okra plants are typically spaced at least 3 feet (90 cm) between rows and 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) in between hills (planting spot). When intercropping bushy and leggy companions, space it out slightly a half to a foot more.
Best Okra Companion Plants by Spaces
For your convenience, we have classified plants suitable for okra companion planting in various spaces!
Planted in Containers
- Parsley
- Tarragon
- Cilantro
- Spinach
Planted in Raised Beds
- Chili pepper
- Eggplant
- Lettuce
- Radish
Grow Outdoors
- Sweet corn
- Coneflowers
- Hibiscus
- Zinnias
- Calendulas
Best Companion Plants to Keep Bugs Away
Perhaps the primary objective of growing an okra companion plant in your garden is to keep bugs away. With this fact, we highlighted the most important ones in the following:
Oregano
While the citrusy fragrance of oregano is enticing to humans, it is known to repulse bugs away from eating your okra! Also, natural biochemical warfare acts indirectly by confusing insects to locate the main crop.
Nasturtiums
Despite the lack of spines that actively prevent herbivore intrusion in your background, nasturtiums are equipped with unwelcoming scent, toxic sap, and visually disrupting flowers that prevent the tiny insects from feeding on your okra and simultaneously attracting the beneficial ones.
Onion Chives
Once it sprouts, onion chives are ready to play the game against your okra’s enemy! Like other herbs, it is armed with insect-deterrent scent, forming a protective dome against bugs.
Garlic
Bugs wouldn't lay a finger or a leg (pun intended) on your okra plants with the confusing scent diffused in the air. This will also indirectly confuse insects from finding a suitable host plant.
FAQ
How Many Okra Plants Do You Plant Together?
In each hill or each seeding point, plant about 1-2 seeds and thin it out if both are seen sprouting. Regarding the plant density, space about 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) in between seedlings in a row to avoid competition.
What to Plant After Okra Crop Rotation?
To disrupt the nematode population in the soil, plant anything but squash or sweet potatoes to prevent them from reproducing. Instead opt for grass species like sweet corn or simply turf grass can help suppress these tiny soil-borne pathogens.
Can Okra and Peppers Be Planted Together?
The pepper’s presence near your okra garden is a good match. However, since both are a host of the root-knot nematode, it is best to fumigate the ground beforehand or adapt nematode-controlling measures to mitigate their negative effect.
Can Okra and Cucumber Be Planted Together?
Yes, they can be planted together. Cucumbers can help thwart weed growth without compromising its own yield and its neighboring okra rows, according to a study conducted by University of Wales, UK.
Is Okra a Good Companion Plant for Tomatoes?
While tomatoes can promote higher yields, it is good to have some precautions. They are a favorite nursery for nematodes. However, the problem will be kept minimum with proper soil preparation, such as fumigation or adding lots of organic matter.
