Growing okra is a favorite pass time for southern gardeners but can be grown successfully in the northern climates as well. With its beautiful Hibiscus-like flowers, okra is one of the prettiest vegetable plants you can grow in your home garden. In fact it comes from the same family as the hibiscus and hollyhock.
Okra is actually a tender perennial but is most often treated as an annual plant, needing to be replanted yearly. It is mostly grown for its round or ridged pods but the leaves of the okra plant are also edible.
Depending on the variety you choose, okra plants range in height anywhere from two to seven feet tall and come in varying shades of green, red and purple. Its pods can be spined or spineless. One of the most popular types of okra grown is the Annie Oakley Hybrid.
How to Grow Okra
Okra is a warm-season crop and should be planted in a sunny spot in well-drained soil. It isn't a picky grower either and can thrive in both acidic and alkaline soil. Once established, okra holds up well under dry conditions and only needs a good soaking about once a week.
Once planted okra does best when left in one spot and doesn't take kindly to being transplanted. It's recommended to start okra from seeds planted directly in your garden, after the frost date in your area. Grow okra in rows planted at least three feet apart. Thin seedlings to stand approximately one foot away from each other.
Okra should never planted in the same spot, year after year, to avoid problems with pests and disease.
How to Harvest Okra
Okra pods should be picked when they are two or three inches long. Using a sharp pair of pruning shears, or a sharp knife, cut okra pods from the stem, just above the cap. Harvesting every other day will help to encourage new growth.
Cooking Fresh Okra
Okra is high in Vitamins A, and C, and has plenty of calcium and iron as well. How many beautiful plants can claim that? Okra is most popularly used to make Gumbo or for thickening soups and stews but can also be steamed, boiled, grilled, fried and pickled.
It's pretty. It's nutritious. It's delicious. What are you waiting for? Get your own okra growing today!
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