Okra… summer cuisine
Through all the years of gardening and raising our children, every day I served okra for dinner was a good day for the girls. You knew for certain they loved it because there was never anything left in the dish, not a crumb of cornmeal and certainly not a speck of okra. I do believe they like it as much as they like potatoes.
Now the girls are grown with families of their own, and we still know how much they enjoy okra because they seem to “drop by” on picking day, which is every two or three days.
You can direct sow okra once the ground warms to over 60°F, which is the preferred method of most. Okra objects to having its tap root tampered with. However, this family wants the okra as early as possible, so we start our seeds indoors and transplant outside as soon as we are confident the weather is going to be ideal. This is a tropical plant and it hates the cold! Since we like to eat okra by the first of July, and with 60-75 days to maturity (means ready to pick), the indoor method suits our needs.
What kind do we grow?
We love all varieties… just call it okra and we will eat it!
Up until about 20 years ago, we grew the traditional Clemson Spineless that reached 4-5 ft tall. It produced an abundance of dark green pods that were ready at 3” long and best at less than 3/4” in diameter. If you want a slender, long pod of okra, this is for you. It produces well until nights fall below 60°. The seed from Burpee Seeds always germinates well.
Tip: Soak the seeds for 24 hours before you plant. This prepares the seeds to easily pull moisture from the soil.
Because we want an abundance of okra, we researched and switched to growing Seed-Savers Star of David variety. It has been a huge success for us every season.
This okra is priced right and a good season produces plants that are more than 9 ft. tall. It’s very reminiscent of Jack and the Beanstalk, only this time it’s Ron and the Okra.
July okra crop
Ron and the Okra (August)The longer the hot weather stays, the taller the plants get, and the more okra you can pick. From 30 okra plants, you will get bushels of pods that are 3-4” long and still tender. They are anything but slender, so don’t let the size fool you. With regular varieties, larger okra can get tough. This is not the case with this variety. And more importantly, one pod sliced gives you 3x more okra than a pod of the other varieties.
PLAN AHEAD: In late August, leave 2 to 4 pods growing and they will provide your seeds for the next growing season. We leave the pods on the plant until they look like they will pop and spill all their seeds. Store them somewhere cool, like your garage or garden shed, to overwinter. One pod will give you as many as 100 seeds for next year’s garden and save you from having to ever purchase okra seed again.
Watch the Lifestyle section on IMBHO for an upcoming blog on okra, including its nutritional value and different ways you can prepare it for the family.
“Gardening simply does not allow one to be mentally old, because too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized.” — Allan Armitage, Professor of Horticulture, University of Georgia
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