Okra is a tall-growing, warm-season, annual vegetable from the same family as hollyhock and hibiscus. The immature pods are used for pickling, soups, canning and stews or as a fried or boiled vegetable. The flowering plant (3 to 6 feet or more in height) have ornamental value for backyard gardens.

Planting

Plant seeds after the soil warms in the spring. Sow seeds 1 inch deep in hills 12 to 24 inches apart. When the seedlings are 3 inches tall, thin all but the one strongest plant per hill. The seeds may be soaked, wrapped in moist paper toweling or in water overnight, to accelerate germination.

Care

It usually grows well in any good garden soil. Shallow cultivation near the plants keeps down weeds.

Issues are typically Aphids and Cabbage Worms. Aphids will colonize under leaves. Cabbage Worms eat through the leaves and lay their eggs on the leaves. The larva doesn’t bother the plant until it becomes a worm. The worms populate quickly and can eat away the crop.

Harvesting

Cut the pods while they are immature (2 to 3 inches long). They must be picked at least every other day. Wear gloves and long sleeves to harvest using pruning shears for clean cuts not to harm the rest of the plant. If the stem is not easy to cut, the pod is probably too aged. The large pods quickly become tough and woody. Frost blackens and kills the plants. Four or five plants produce enough okra for family consumption unless wanting to can or freeze.

Did You Know...

Mature okra is used to make rope and paper

Originated in Ethiopia and cultivated by ancient Egyptians by the 12th century B.C.

Do not cook in iron, copper or brass; metal creates a chemical reaction turning pods black

Okra is closely related to the cotton plant

Pods are harvested before they are technically mature

It is fat free