That's a great question and I look forward to hearing what others have to say. I posted a question about my okra's lower leaves dying and falling off. I hope this is normal.

I fertized when I planted with 5-10-5 and when it started blooming I did a light side dressing of the same. I am starting to get quit a bit of okra and have lots of blooms.

Okra does well in average to poor soil, probably even better in good fertile soil. I have never needed to do much extra fertilizing. Just don't over do it if you think it needs a bit of feeding.

There has been lots of discussion about growing okra on here, from the spacing to the number of plants needed for a family. I was totally amazed and bowed out of the conversation last year when several were talking about feeding their families, giving all their neighbors more than they wanted etc. etc. with two or three plants. At that rate a market farmer would only need maybe 30 or 40 feet of row to sell truck loads. Perhaps I missed something. I can only go on my own personal experiences but have never had okra that productive, regardless of what the variety was or what kind of soil it was grown in. I have found that my own best spacing is two and a half feet to three feet apart. Others may prefer different spacing, for what ever reason.
Just my .02 for what it is worth.
Bill P.

Okra doesn't store well or transport well. In addition, in most of the country it isn't considered a primary vegetable like tomatoes, corn and cabbages. It's seen as a fringe crop, a sort of specialty thing. When was the last time you saw okra on a restaurant dish other than in places that specialize in Deep South or New Orleans cuisine?

Even if it is wildly productive, if you can't sell it, then it doesn't matter. My, how I'd like to have some okra now!

Fertilizing with 10-10-10 at the time of planting and as the flowers appear fertilizing with 10-20-10 works fine with okra.

I ditto on bill Okra does well in any garden soil. If I fertilezed I would use a low nitrogen such as 5-10-10 or equivilant If all I had was 10-10-10 that would work also. about a handful per 3ft of row roughly 6inches from the base of the plant. Jim here is some Bull horn
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and a few pods one at 3 days one at 2days and one at 1 day
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and some Alabama Red
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Rodger, those pictures transport me right to your garden and what a wonderful place it is!

Jim

First time growing okra for me here in south texas, clemson spineless is the variety and I have 5 plants in a raised bed spaced around 2 ft apart. I added some tomato tone before planting and side dressed with it again once the plants started flowering. As of this morning I have pulled 135 pods from the 5 plants and they look real healthy at about 6 ft tall. Okra, whether it be Clemson Spineless or another variety, has gained a permanent spot in my garden. Yummy!

Jim, I've grown every kind of okra imaginable for 30 years and love it as much as you do! I fertilize differently than most gardeners but have gotten super results with okra with this method. I fertilize okra (and everything else) every two weeks with either compost tea, or Miracle Grow and mix liquid seaweed, or kelp or molassis with either fertilizer. The okra grows like a veritable weed and gives us enough to eat (and we eat a lot), share and freeze. We usually grow three raised rows of okra (4 by 8 feet each) for that amount. As long as the weather is hot enough, okra will thrive in any soil but as Bill said, even better if fertilized. I am growing the mammoth okra right now and one thick slice (no exaggeration) is practically a mouthful! Good growing, Janet