How to Grow -Okra
29 September 2012, by gj
Okra are easy enough to grow.
Soaking the seeds helps for better germination, and you can start the plants indoors to get a jump on the season.
Just be sure to wait until it’s nice and warm out to put them in the soil.
young okra leaves
Okra prefer full sun and although they would rather have a moist soil, they can handle drier conditions well.
Once established, they can take the heat too.
okra flower
The flowers are not only quite beautiful, they are also edible.
When you think you’ve had enough of the veggie, try tossing a few flowers into a salad or stuff and cook them as you would squash flowers.
Remember to rinse first, and remove the insides.
okra about ready
Okra has both the male and female parts on the same flower. It still needs a little help getting the two together, either from wind, bugs or you.
Pick the okra when it is small, about 2-4 inches; otherwise it gets a ‘woody’ taste to it.
The more you harvest, the more you’ll get- don’t you just love plants that do that?
okra and fried green tomatoes
More on hand-pollinating veggies.
Botanical name: Abelmoschus esculentus
Days to maturity: about 2 months
Yield: multiple fruit per plant
Height: 5 ft. or more
Spacing: 12-18″ as the plants get quite bushy
Harvest: When pods are 2-4 inches long, 4-5 inches for long podded varieties
Storage: Pressure canned, pickled, dried or frozen
Categories: okra
