Okras are pretty common plants to have in your garden. Because of this, you might be considering companion planting. But which plants serve as the best companion plants for your okra? Here is everything you need to know about okra and good and bad companion plants for it.
What is an okra plant
An okra plant is a common type of vegetable that is most often known as ladies’ fingers or okro. It is a flowering part that is part of the mallow family that possesses edible green seed pods. It is native to certain parts of Asia and Africa.
What is companion planting and why is it good for your garden
Companion planting is a method for controlling and preventing pests and diseases, in your vegetable garden, that’s organic. This organic method is also capable of aiding your plants to remain healthier for extended periods of time as well as increasing the yield of your harvest.
Cucumbers as companion plants for okra
Cucumbers will do as a good companion plant for okra because they love and need quite a bit of water and rich soil, as do okra plants. That being said you still shouldn’t plant the cucumbers and okras too closely together. This is because cucumber vines spread and therefore need quite large amounts of space and direct exposure to the sunlight in order to properly ripen.
Pepper plants as companion plants for okra
Pepper plants will do as a good companion plant for okra because they are capable of repelling cabbage worms. This is a good thing because cabbage worms can be irritating and destructive to okra plants.
Melons as companion plants for okra
Similarly to cucumbers, melons will do as a good companion plant for okra because they desire larger amounts of water and direct exposure to the sunlight.
It is recommended that you plant the melons on the east side of your okra plants so that the melons are capable of drawing more benefits from the morning sun.
On the other hand, you could also plant the melons on the west side of your okra plants so that they can draw more benefits from the afternoon sun, as well as be able to have enough room for their vines to run freely.
Basil
Basil leaves will also do as an excellent companion plant for okras and can be pretty highly beneficial. This is because the scent that basil leaves naturally possess is capable of repelling a number of different pests that tend to like and harm the okra plant. This includes pests such as flea beetles, stink bugs, spider mites, whiteflies and aphids.
Bad companions for okra
Even though the okra plant has quite a few good companions that can be good for it, it does also have some bad companions. One of these bad companions is nematodes.
Although many gardeners may believe that nematodes are actually highly necessary and beneficial for many gardens, in reality they are detrimental to the okra plant. This is because these miniscule creatures have a tendency to feed on the young roots of this particular plant.
In addition to this, it is recommended that you avoid planting okra anywhere near the soil of certain vine crops, such as sweet potatoes, excluding the ones that were mentioned to be good companions earlier in this article.
This is because vine crop soil is most likely to have a certain amount of nematode presence. That being said, the okra plant doesn’t really have any other bad plant companions.
Companion plants for okra – final thoughts:
Overall, the okra plant has quite a few good plant companions. As well as this, the okra plant itself can actually be great in one of itself as its large height allows it to act as a sun shield and/or windbreaker in certain situations. That being said, it does not do well in certain soils, especially if it’s filled with nematodes.