Okra

Okra is a wonder plant. It is hardy, loves hot weather, will grow and put on a wonderful crop in the north, and does not require special handling or rich soils. We find it has very low pest pressure. These characteristics put this plant into our must grow category.

When I was in high school, I had the job of harvesting okra on a farm. Those plants were so spiny, that you would end up like a pin cushion after a session of picking the slender pods. The modern okra we have been planting is much improved from what I remember of those days long ago. Clemson Spineless is true to its name, and very productive.

Okra has reportedly been cultivated for thousands of years, and its origin is not sure. Some references claim northeast Africa. It is a hot loving plant, and this is evident when you try to start seeds in the soil. Where I live in the north, I have much better success starting okra in a warm, seed house environment. These seeds just don't want to germinate in cool soil. It takes several months of growth before the plants really get large and start to produce heavily. Starting them early indoors is an effective way to extend your harvest of this wonderful vegetable.

The okra plant has a beautiful flower, followed by a seed pod which grows and enlarges as it matures. As you pick the pods, you will get a feel for how large you like them. There comes a point in the pods maturity, where the cell wall of the pod becomes hard and fibrous. We like to harvest the pods before they get hard, and we find that the rage for picking is 4 to 6 inches in pod length.

Out of an 80 foot row of okra, we will harvest around 1/8 bu two times a week. That comes to around 6 meals a week with okra as a major dish of the meal. Okra has gotten a bad name because there are ways to fix okra which extenuate the perception of slime. I have not had boiled okra, and from what I hear, I may not try it. We do enjoy it as an addition to soups, but it would not be a major ingredient. Most often we cut the pods into small rounds, and saute them. In this form, they are very tasty, and can be included in a variety of entrees for a pleasant filler. We like to add some Lawry's Season Salt as we saute them.

At times I have wished for even more okra than we presently have. Perhaps I will consider two rows of 80 feet each next year! An experience from a local friend may be instructive. My friend planted four rows of okra, and on two of the rows, they added alfalfa fertilizer pellets. The rows that were fertilized did poorer than the two rows that had no amendments. This would have to be tested more to take it out of the fluke or hearsay labels, but my experience does seem to confirm that okra does not need high nutrient soil to thrive.

I hope you try some okra this next year. Do you want any of our fall seeds pods? Saving just one okra pod will yield around 50 seeds! We would love to share with you.