Growing Okra in Michigan

[mansgirl]

I bought some Okra seed last winter and had my girlfriend start them in her green houses. I have beautiful plants now, they are about 6 - 8" tall. I just hardened them off this past weekend and they are now in my garden looking pretty happy.

Question 1 ~ Do they need any help? I.e. Climbers or stakes?

Question 2 ~ I have a few blooms and a few pod-looking things starting. But I've noticed that some of the pod things are brown, is that normal?

Any Okra advice is appreciated!

Thank you!

[engineeredgarden]

Okra is a staple crop in the deep south, and tolerates drought well. I'm not sure how it will perform for you that far north, because it really likes hot summers. The pods look very strange while forming, so don't fret about it. It'll start out looking like a freaky cocoon of some kind, then the pod will form.

EG

[mansgirl]

Thanks for the tips. Ya know, I can't remember what kind of seed I bought, I think its just the normal looking green Okra..? Ugh, do I sound like a Yank or what? I'll keep an eye on the funny looking pods.

It HAS been awfully hot this year so far, they say we're in for a real scorcher of a summer, so hopefully they'll do well. We had 10 consecutive days of over 80 so far (pretty rare in May around here), but the past few days have been cold and rainy.

I just love trying new things in my garden! I'll keep all you experienced southerners posted on my experiment!

[Gary350]

I never grew any okra when I lived in Michigan but I am guessing it might be a little wet for okra. I remember it use to get pretty cool at night I June and there was a heavy dew on the plants next morning. If the pods look brown or rotted looking cut them off. When the weather get hotter things will be better. Okra likes it hot and dry and it does well in poor soil. I plant okra every year seeds are 6" apart and that is crouding it a bit. Seeds are slow to sprout and it seems slow to grow at first but once they are 3 ft tall they switch into high gear. About July when the weather turns hot 95 to 100 degrees and not much rain the okra grows twice at fast it seems to love it hot and dry. You want to pick the okra pods before they get hard. You have to check the plants every day you will see okra pods 2" long one day and the next day they are double in size and ready to pick. If you pick too late the pods are hard. They should be tender and cut easy like the white part of a banana. Once the plants start to make okra plant production increases. I plant 1 row of okra 20 ft long. At first okra will need to be picked about every 3 days then in about 10 days they will need to be picked every 2 days then in about a week you will need to pick every day. First crop may only be 10 okra pods every 3 days but in 2 weeks it will be 20 pods every 2 days and in 1 more weeks I will be 25 okra pods every day. Slice tender okra into 1/2" long pieces disguard both ends. Mix 1/2 cup buttermilk with 1/2 water soak okra slices 5 minutes in liquid then drain. Mix 1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper mix well and put in a paper bag. Dump in the drained okra shake the bag about every 2 minutes for 20 minutes to get a good coating on all the okra pieces. Put 1" of oil in a skillet heat to 400 deg F or until the oil starts to smoke a little. Dump okra in colander and shake to remove excess flour then dump okra in hot oil. Be careful not to dump in too much okra at one time you want the okra to be able to float to the top of the oil. Stir until golden brown when okra floats on the surface of the oil it is done remove okra from oil and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with more salt if you like.

I was just getting started in gardening 45 years ago I remember root crops and greens all grew great when I lived in Lansing MI. one summer about 1963.

[engineeredgarden]

mansgirl - The most commonly grown okra around here is Clemson Spineless. Maybe that's the kind you have?

EG

[mansgirl]

Ok, here are some pictures of the Michigan Okra. So far its been VERY wet here, and they have been slow to do anything. I'm assuming the brown pod is what I need to cut off? Also.. what do the flowers mean? They are forcasting a wet June for us here, but an unseasonably hot July and August. I hope so! I'd really like these little guys to turn out!

[img]https://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/serendipity0220/DSC00767.jpg[/img]

The plant with a flower.. I think thats a good thing?

[img]https://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/serendipity0220/DSC00768.jpg[/img]

A little closer up so you can see the brown pod better.

[rkunsaw]

It appears the brown pod is the dried up flower.The okra is under it.It will fall off by itself but you can pull it off if you want to.Just pull from the tip of the dried flower,it should come easy.
Larry

[applestar]

Aren't the okra flowers beautiful? They look like hibiscus -- very ornamental.
Last spring, my favorite herb lady was selling overgrown rootbound Burgundy Red okra seedlings for $1@ and I bought 3 to try out. After the cool spring was over and we got some heat, 2 out of the 3 grew and grew and grew!

At the end of the season, I let one pod go to seed and saved the seeds. I thought I'd allowed it to mature enough, but none of them sprouted this spring -- I tried 3 times...

I guess I'll have to buy some seeds next year and try again. I've seen Clemson Spineless in catalogs. I'll remember that.

[mansgirl]

I just picked my first okra today! I also got my first tomato today. I think it may be time for gumbo!

[LindsayArthurRTR]

In my garden the okra under the flower grows faster than the flower can keep up. I keep getting big pods with rotted flowers on the ends. Doesn't affect the pods at all. Well as far as eating, not sure if the seeds whould be viable. Okra does need heat. In my PA experience, we couldn't make it work very well. Now that we are back in SC ( ) it grows rampant. It does like to be abused. We pick the pods at about 3 inches if it's dry. If it rains a lot You can let them get bigger without worrying about the getting fibrous.

[csvd87]

I'm gonna grow Red Velvet Okra next year, can't wait, wish I had gotten into this earlier than May, oh well, at least I have my container peppers to keep me happy

[gumbo2176]

Like many have responded, okra likes hot climates and are pretty drought tolerant. Living in New Orleans makes okra a yearly staple in the garden. I have about 30 plants that are about 6 feet tall now and am harvesting between 15-30 pods a day from these plants now and as they get bigger, up to at least 50 a day by September. Naturally, I use lots of it in gumbos, some for pickling, some deep fried, steamed with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar but I recently grilled some and it is a great side dish. Wash the okra and pat dry, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and put directly on the grill. The okra will just start to split when done and it is a real treat. Give it a try sometimes.