Okra Polyculture?

I’d like to try out a polyculture using okra this summer. I was thinking cowpeas and maybe huauzontle. Has anyone done this and have any suggestions for other annuals to use? Thanks!

This is great question.
I have a garbage bag of okra seeds dried in the pod, so I'm very interested in a way to plant them.
From what little I understand the fruiting is fast and furious, and needs to be kept up with,like string beans.
That makes me think that a nonclimbing winter squash would be a good pairing, since it wouldn't come in at the same time as the okra and it should supress weeds.

That amaranth you mentioned is interesting,  I'm planning on growing "green amaranth" for my sister the chef, inspired by the dish known as callaloo.

Most amaranth seem to get pretty tall, as does most okra, Chenopodium nuttalliae apparently gets about 2 feet tall.



Peas and beans seem more like good crop rotation/ undersown plants than companions.
Fava or lima beans going into fall.
Austrian winter peas in the fall and/or spring.

Ah yes, okra was my entry into seed saving and breeding, and so I always have a ton on hand!

I would like to do squash with the okra, but we are giving the garden a break from squash/pumpkins this year in a (probably fruitless) attempt to disrupt the pest cycle. Otherwise, it would be a great choice.

The okra I grow can range from 4 to 12 feet, so I think the C. nuttalliae should work for the mid-layer.

Its that ground layer I am now trying to suss out. Something that can tolerate both GA heat and shade from the okra.

I would very much like to try callaloo one day!

this year i planted my okra together with annuals-- long beans, okinawan winged beans, lovage, spaghetti and winter squash, and corn. i have already ripped out the corn, the lovage is pretty much toast now (too hot), and once the squashes are mostly died down i'll probably put some kale in the empty spots. at the end of the season, the okra is still going in winter and i usually plant peas to climb up what's left.
cowpeas i often plant but they become trees here, which is a little more than i can handle.

Oh that sounds like a lush and vibrant scene, Tereza! I like the idea of more of an herb-y addition, like lovage.

Sean, that is a really pretty picture of an okra flower.

It has been a long time since I planted okra though I would suggest
beans, peas, squash, and cucumbers.

Some herbs like basil and oregano will help prevent pests.

I like to plant flowers with my veggies so I would suggest Cosmo and Coneflowers.

Thanks Anne...the okra flower is surely among my favorites. I think I will try out some herbs along with some vining peas and see what works!