{"id":2130,"date":"2019-10-08T02:52:59","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T02:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2130"},"modified":"2019-10-08T02:53:06","modified_gmt":"2019-10-08T02:53:06","slug":"okra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/08\/okra\/","title":{"rendered":"Okra"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Abelmoschus<\/em> <\/em>esculentus<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syn Hibiscus esculentus<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: This relative of cotton is often said to be\nnative to Africa because of its popularity and the diversity of types grown\nthere. However it may also have originated in southern Asia as it is widely\nused there too. It isn\u2019t found as a wild plant anywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Okra contains vitamin A, folate, calcium, phosphorus, potassium\nand around 140 calories per pound. The seeds are rich in protein and edible\noil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing: <\/strong>Okra is a fairly easy plant to grow if it has a warm climate. If\nit is too cool it will only grow slowly and won\u2019t be very productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Okra is a true tropical plant and likes long warm days and warm\nnights. This is why it is most popular in the southeastern states. In my garden\nthe days are warm enough, but\nthe nights are too cool for it to be really happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH\n6.0 to 8.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okra is a vigorous and fairly greedy plant, so the soil should be\nrich in all nutrients. It should also be well-drained and have a fairly neutral\npH (it doesn\u2019t like acid\nsoil).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Add organic matter in the form of 2\u02dd of compost or aged manure.\nYou might also add wood ashes to supply potassium and colloidal phosphate for phosphorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About Okra<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong>

Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 60 (70 – 95) 105\u00b0F
Germination time: 5 – 10 days
27 days \/ 59\u00b0F
17 days \/ 68\u00b0F
13 days \/ 77\u00b0F
7 days \/ 86\u00b0F * Optimum
6 days \/ 95\u00b0F
Seed viability: 4 – 5 years
Germination percentage: 50%+
Weeks to grow transplant: 5 – 7 \u00a0

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Tender
Growing temp: 65 (70 – 85) 95\u00b0F
Plants per person: 3
Plants per sq ft: 1 \u00a0

Planting<\/strong>
Start: 2 – 3 weeks before last frost
Plant out: 4 weeks after last frost
Direct sow: 4 weeks after last frost
Days to harvest: 100 – 130 days
Height: 3 – 10 ft
Width: 12 – 36\u02dd \u00a0

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Harvest period: 6 – 10 weeks
Yield per plant: 8 oz
Yield per sq ft: 8 oz \u00a0
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: Okra can get quite tall, so make sure it doesn\u2019t shade other\ncrops. Most varieties only get to 4 or 5 feet, though some can reach 10 feet or\nmore. The flowers and leaves are quite attractive, so it doesn\u2019t look out of\nplace in the ornamental\ngarden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because okra is planted so late, it can often go into the space\npreviously occupied by an early crop, such as peas or fava beans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: This tropical plant thrives in heat and can\u2019t stand any cold\nwhatsoever. It shouldn\u2019t be planted until all frost danger is past and the soil\nhas warmed up to at least 60\u00b0F. If the growing season is short, you might use\ncloches or black plastic to warm the soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sowing<\/strong>: Okra is easily raised from seed and grows quickly in good\nconditions. Some people soak the seed overnight before planting to speed germination in dry soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting inside<\/strong>: If your growing season is short you should start okra inside to\nsave time. It doesn\u2019t like root disturbance, so plant it in cell packs or soil\nblocks. Start the seed 2 – 3 weeks before the last frost date and plant out\nabout a month later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: In areas with a long growing seasons, okra is often direct sown.\nThe soil should be warm before you plant (60\u00b0F minimum), as the seed will\nsimply rot if planted in cold soil. Plant the seeds \u00bd\u02dd deep in heavy (or cool)\nsoil, or 1\u02dd deep in light (or warm) soil. Space the seeds 4 – 6\u02dd apart, to be\nthinned to the desired spacing later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beds<\/strong>: Space the plants 12 – 18\u02dd apart, depending upon the size of the\nvariety.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rows<\/strong>: Plan on spacing the plants 12 – 18\u02dd apart (depending on the size\nof the variety), in rows 2 – 6 ft apart. Two rows work well in an average\ngarden bed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: Okra must be kept well watered at all times if it to produce\nwell. This is especially important in very hot weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds<\/strong>: The young plants should be kept free of weeds. Older ones can\nlook after themselves, especially if mulched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Fertilization<\/strong>: Okra is a fairly hungry plant. If the soil\nisn\u2019t very rich, give it a liquid feed of compost tea, or liquid kelp every 2 –\n3 weeks. It especially likes nitrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: Once the soil is warm apply 3\u02dd of mulch to keep the soil moist\nand keep down weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning<\/strong>: If the plants get too big, you can cut them down a bit. They\nwill usually respond with vigorous new growth and start producing again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests: <\/strong>In a warm climate okra may be attacked by aphids, leafminers,\nnematodes, stinkbugs and some caterpillars. Pests are less problematic when it\nis growing in cooler areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diseases<\/strong>: Commonest diseases include southern blight, fusarium wilt and\nvarious molds and fungi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: The flowers should appear about 60 days\nafter planting, but cold weather, or lack of moisture, may cause them to drop\noff without being pollinated. The pods are ready about 5 days after the flowers\nare successfully pollinated. They are at their best while they are soft and\nsmall (2 – 3\u02dd long) and snap easily. As they get bigger than this, they can\nstart to get tough and are not so good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caution<\/strong>: Okra plants are covered in tiny spines and may cause skin irritation in some people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: The plants grow fast in warm weather and can produce a lot of\npods. Pick the new pods conscientiously every day or two, as the more you pick,\nthe more you get. If any pods mature on the plant, they may cause it to stop\nproducing. Use them as soon as possible after harvest, as their flavor deteriorates quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed<\/strong>: If the pods get over mature, you can always shell out the soft\ngreen seeds and use them like peas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dry seeds are rich in high quality protein and it has been\nsuggested that they could be more valuable for their seeds than for the pods,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: Fresh okra pods should be used within a day or two, as they\ndeteriorate quickly. The simplest way to store them for any length of time is\nto freeze them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pods can also be dried for storage, though their flavor will\nbe quite different from that\nof fresh plants (but still quite good).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: Okra will self-pollinate if no other plants are growing nearby.\nHowever the flowers are very attractive to bees and if any other okra is\ngrowing nearby they will probably be cross-pollinated. For this reason you\nshould only grow one variety at a time, or you must isolate the plants. The\nbest way to do this is by bagging, which means covering the flower with a small\nmuslin bag (you could also make bags from old panty hose) to prevent any\npollinating insects getting to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole process from flower to fully ripe seed takes about 5\nweeks and may cause the plants to stop producing new pods. Some people forget\nabout further food production about 6 weeks before the first fall frost date\nand allow their plants to start producing ripe seed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure genetic variability you should save the seed from at\nleast 5 of your best plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dry pods can be even more irritating than the green pods, so\nwear gloves and long sleeves when harvesting. Separate the seeds from the pods\ncarefully and dry thoroughly\nbefore storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental<\/strong>: Okra is attractive enough for the ornamental garden, and works\nwell as an edible ornamental. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the old varieties were as much as 12 feet in height, but\nmodern varieties tend to be much more compact. There are quite a few varieties out there, but most\nof them are quite hard to find (Southern Exposure Seed exchange is a good place\nto look).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clemson\nSpineless –<\/strong> The commonest variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cowhorn\nOkra –<\/strong> Has long pods with great flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hill\nCountry Heirloom Red –<\/strong> An attractive variety\nwith red pods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louisiana\nGreen Velvet <\/strong>– A\nvigorous plant with smooth pods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perkins\nMammoth – <\/strong>Can get very big. Not easy to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red\nBurgundy – <\/strong>Has red pods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star\nof David<\/strong> – Unusual flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okra is related to the mallows and has the same mucilaginous\n(slimy) quality that some people object to. You can minimize their sliminess by\ncooking them in a way that doesn\u2019t involve water <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okra is most popular in the southeastern states, where a traditional dish is fried okra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fried Okra<\/strong> \u00a0

1 lb okra pods
1 egg
1 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp water
2 dashes hot sauce
Oil \u00a0

Wash and trim the okra and cut into \u00bd\u02dd slices. Beat the egg and water in
bowl, then add the okra, hot sauce and cornmeal. Roll around to coat all
pieces and then saut\u00e9 in a pan slowly so the okra dries out in cooking. If
you want to make it more authentic it was traditionally deep fried. \u00a0 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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