Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Malvaceae

Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum

Solanaceae

Can you plant okra and tomatoes together?

Yes. Okra and tomatoes grow well together.

Why okra and tomatoes work together

Garden charts recommend it. 2 garden chart entries recommend growing them together. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Responses of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Population on Tomato Lycopersicon esculentnm Mixed with Other Crops under Glasshouse Conditions (Mansour · 2012 · APCBEE Procedia)
About the same harvest. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about the same harvest as the same space split into a okra bed and a tomato bed.
Economic aspects of intercropping systems of vegetables (okra, tomato and cowpea) (Adeniyi Or · 2011)
No clear effect on disease. In a field trial, growing them together made no clear difference to disease.
Effect of intercropping on tomato yellow leaf curt virus incidenceon tomato (Yin Xiangui · 2002 · Xi nan nong ye xue bao = Southwest China journal of agricultural sciences)

What to plant with okra and tomatoes

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

BeanWith okra: 25% more harvestWith tomatoes: 18% more harvest
CabbageWith okra: Bigger combined harvestWith tomatoes: 34% more harvest
Squash & pumpkinWith okra: About the same harvestWith tomatoes: 18% more harvest
BasilWith okra: Bigger combined harvestWith tomatoes: 7% more harvest
Sweet potatoWith okra: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith tomatoes: Lures pests away

How each one was tested, with the evidence

What to keep away from okra and tomatoes

RosemaryWith tomatoes: Garden charts advise against it, not tested

The evidence in detail

For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.

Tradition, research and yield trials

Tradition

Good

avoidgood

2 chart entries: 2 recommend, 0 advise against.

All entries cite a source.

Research

No effect

avoidgood

1 paper found: 0 positive, 0 negative, 1 no effect.

disease suppression

auto-classified not reviewed by a person

Yield trial

No effect

0.54

0.45

Okra gains more. Partial LER is each crop's share of the yield it would give alone.

1 field trial. Published LERs lean high.

Good neighbours

What happens above and below ground

Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.

Everything at once.

What is going on (2)

Pick a card to spotlight its animation in the scene.

Okra TomatoStudies looked for disease suppression from Okra to Tomato and found no clear effect.

Researchfield trial x1

Effect of intercropping on tomato yellow leaf curt virus incidenceon tomato (Yin Xiangui · 2002 · Xi nan nong ye xue bao = Southwest China journal of agricultural sciences)

Okra TomatoStudies looked at land equivalent ratio between Okra and Tomato and found no clear effect.

Partial LERs (medians): Okra 0.54 + Tomato 0.45. Range across treatments 0.63 to 1.55. Medians are taken separately, so the parts need not add up to the median LER. LER above 1 is biased upward by publication bias.

Yield trialfield trial x1

Economic aspects of intercropping systems of vegetables (okra, tomato and cowpea) (Adeniyi Or · 2011)

Tradition saysGood

2 gardening-lore entries. Lore is a starting point, not proof.

Responses of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Population on Tomato Lycopersicon esculentnm Mixed with Other Crops under Glasshouse Conditions (Mansour · 2012 · APCBEE Procedia)

Companion plants for both okra and tomatoes

Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.

Plant	With okra	With tomatoes
Bean	25% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for okra and beans	18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for tomatoes and beans
Cabbage	Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for okra and cabbage	34% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 4 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for tomatoes and cabbage
Squash & pumpkin	About the same harvest as separate bedsField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for okra and squash	18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for tomatoes and squash
Basil	Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for okra and basil	Helpful plant chemistry, fewer pests and better soil and nutrient uptake7% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 6 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for tomatoes and basil
Sweet potato	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for okra and sweet potatoes	Lures pests awayField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for tomatoes and sweet potatoes

Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).

The evidence, with sources

ResearchNo effect1 entry

No effectdisease suppressionfield trialauto-classified

Effect of intercropping on tomato yellow leaf curt virus incidenceon tomato
Effect of intercropping on tomato yellow leaf curt virus incidenceon tomato (Yin Xiangui · 2002 · Xi nan nong ye xue bao = Southwest China journal of agricultural sciences)

Relevance 87% · effect confidence 45%

Yield trialNo effect1 entry

No effectLER 0.98field trial

Nigeria, 2007-2008; Replacement design; median LER 0.98 over 6 treatment(s) · partial LER Okra 0.535, Tomato 0.45
Economic aspects of intercropping systems of vegetables (okra, tomato and cowpea) (Adeniyi Or · 2011)

TraditionGood2 entries

GoodOkra helps Tomato
Okra: helps tomatoes
Responses of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Population on Tomato Lycopersicon esculentnm Mixed with Other Crops under Glasshouse Conditions (Mansour · 2012 · APCBEE Procedia)
GoodOkra helps Tomato
Tomatoes: helped by okra
Responses of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Population on Tomato Lycopersicon esculentnm Mixed with Other Crops under Glasshouse Conditions (Mansour · 2012 · APCBEE Procedia)

Plan a bed with okra and tomatoes

All neighbours of okra and of tomato, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.

Have you grown okra and tomatoes together?

Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.