Okra Planting Depth

[hedgeapple]

So, about a week ago I went in to re-seed some gaps in my okra rows, turning over the soil with a shovel to fluff it up a bit. About three days later I noticed pale, but well grown out okra sprouts surfacing - much too soon for the new seed to be that well developed. Clearly some of my gaps were the result of seed working its way too deep into the soil.

If you Google instructions for growing okra you see all kinds of different answers for seed depth of planting, but my conclusion is that they need to be 1/4" and no more than 1/2" down for emergence. Planting them close to the surface makes me a bit nervous because I don't have a drip line set up - just surface watering, so I have to babysit them a little to ensure they don't dry out, but I think the online instructions you run across talking about planting at a full 1" are bogus.

Don't know if there is a way to prevent the seed from burrowing into the soil, but I think shallow planting may be the only way to manage it.

[heavyhitterokra]

Good question, hedgeapple. I've had several okra seeds over the years that will try their darndest to sink leaves to China. All the while, they're little bare root tips pointing straight upwards at the sun. They never survive that route. I don't know what gets in their little heads sometimes?

So, I try my best to place the root tip side of the seed pointing downward (Pointy end down) in hopes of trying to avoid what was just described above. It's hard to say if it really works with these toad strangler rainstorms we've been having lately that seem to float my see right out of the ground the same day I plant them? Somehow, quite a few of mine find their way and make it just fine.