okra

[annastasia76]

I am planning on planting some okra this year for the first time. I have no clue as to how many plants I would need. How much does each plant produce. I know that it gets really tall, so that will limit where I can put it, are there any tip to growing and harvesting it??

[gumbo2176]

Okra is one of the things I must have each summer. I plant my seeds in the spring and harvest okra for much of the summer. I direct sow the seeds and thin to about 1 ft. apart. That is more than enough space in the row for them to grow. I generally have about 15 ft. of 2 rows of my garden used for okra with about 3 ft. between rows.

Okra does get very tall (well over 8 ft.) by seasons end but if you want, you can cut/top the main stem and it will still produce quite well. Some folks cut the main stem at 6 ft and this makes for some side stems to emerge. Okra makes a very large flower and it quickly develops into the pod that is used for cooking. I generally let mine get to 4-5 inches long for a nice tender pod. It doesn't take long for okra to get too big and the pod to get very hard making it not good for much except letting it go to seed late in the season.

My okra plants, when in full gear, will give me 30 or more pods a day. I have lots of uses for okra but will not go into them now. If you decide to grow some and need some ideas for use, PM me.

[gumbo2176]

Forgot to mention that I plant a variety called Clemson Spineless. Also, okra tolerates heat and dry conditions very well. That is why it is popular in the deep south for summer gardeners.

[applestar]

No, no -- please start an Okra recipes thread in the Recipes Forum

I'm going to try growing Alabama Red and Clemson Spineless this year.
Only space -- not to mention the shadeless hot and dry conditions as you said gumbo -- I have for them is in the front yard. My neighbors are going to love me.

[gumbo2176]

Can, and will do Applestar. I'll do this sometime this weekend since my brother-in-law's mother is turning 90 tonight and we have a party planned in her honor. She is an amazing woman. At her age, she doesn't need glasses, doesn't need any medications, still drives daily, participates in her church choir, takes care of her 63 yr. old daughter with Parkinson's and finds time for community service. I'm in awe.

[annastasia76]

thank you, I planted 6 seeds of Clemson Spineless today, it may be too cold right now for them to sprout though.

[DeborahL]

Gumbo, please give that neat lady a hug from California !

[Marlingardener]

Applestar, yes your neighbors will love you! Okra has a very pretty flower that turns into an okra pod, so just tell them it's a tall variety of hollyhock.
Gumbo, you have an amazing family of wonderful, vibrant people. I admire you and your family.
We are not planting okra this year. Instead, we are giving the space to sweet corn which my husband enjoys more than okra. However, I can always get fresh okra from the neighbors who grow lots and are anxious to give it away!

[applestar]

Arrggh!! I thought I ordered Clemson Spineless seeds too, but it seems I only ordered the Alabama Red!! (picture me pulling everything out of my seed storage box and turning it uPside-down ) ...and here EVERYONE seems to be planting Clemsons

Well, I guess they'll look pretty like marlingardener said....

[gumbo2176]

Arrggh!! I thought I ordered Clemson Spineless seeds too, but it seems I only ordered the Alabama Red!! (picture me pulling everything out of my seed storage box and turning it uPside-down ) ...and here EVERYONE seems to be planting Clemsons

Well, I guess they'll look pretty like marlingardener said....

Applestar, I've found Clemson Spineless in Home Depot and Lowe's.

[gumbo2176]

Gumbo, please give that neat lady a hug from California !

Did that Deb. She made out like a bandit on her birthday. Her son got her a beautiful music box with a modern twist. It has two knobs, 1 marked A-J and the other 1-10. There is a song book that tells you what letter and number pulls up that particular song and it plays 100 different songs.

She got several different pieces of clothing and my wife gave her a gift card for a local book store since she is a retired teacher and voracious reader.

I travel on the practical side and offered to thoroughly clean her car since nobody has done it in years. I did that today with a thorough interior cleaning of vacuuming, upholstery and vinyl scrubbing, engine compartment cleaning, washing and waxing. She hasn't seen her car that clean in years and it did my heart good to see her pleasure in that.

Now, if the city would kindly finish with the gas line they are replacing and repave the part of my driveway they cut out to do so, I just may clean my truck.

[Gary350]

I plant 1 row 20 ft long with okra. Plant seeds about 10" apart. I till the soil then shovel out all the soil in that row to make a trench about 5" deep 20 ft long. I buy a couple bags of composted cow manure at the farm supply store $3 each to put in the trench spread out the manure evenly in the whole trench. Then I put 1 seed every 10" then cover the manure with about 1" of soil. Give it plenty of water. When the plants are about 2 ft tall I put the rest of the soil in the trench. The roots go crazy growing in that cow manure compost okra gets 8 ft tall real fast. About July it starts making okra pods. I get a crop about once a week for a while then the crop starts coming more often. By August I have to pick okra every day. Never let the pods get too large other wise they will be too hard to eat. The pods need to be soft like a banana. By the end of Sept we are burned out on eating okra every day so I let it go to seed.

Cut the okra into 1/2" long slices. Soak the slices in a 50/50 mix of buttermilk and water for a few minutes then let them drain 5 minutes.

Mix 1 cup of white flour with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Some people like corn meal instead of flour or 50/50 mix of flour corn meal but I don't. Put the okra slices in the flour stir about every 5 minutes for the next 30 minutes then dump into a colinder to remove the excess flour.

Put 1" of oil or crisco in a 10" or 12" cast iron skillet turn it on high and when it begins to smoke a little dump in the okra. Not too much you want a layer on the surface don't croud the pieces they need to float to the top. Stir the okra around in the oil for a few minutes when it floats to the surface of the oil it will be done and golden brown.

Some people make pickeled okra and boiled okra but not me I don't like it fixed that way.

I like gumbo but I don't have a good recipe.

[gumbo2176]

I like gumbo but I don't have a good recipe.

Gary, I'm from New Orleans and put my recipe for chicken/andouille/okra gumbo in the recipe section of this forum. Andouille is a cajun pork sausage that is highly seasoned and heavily smoked but any good quality smoke sausage will work in its place. Give the recipe a look-see, it is a killer gumbo and I've made it for a lot of large social occasions and have fed over 100 folks at a time with it. That recipe is good for about 1 1/2 to 2 gallon worth and it freezes very well. I never make it in less of a quantity than that recipe calls for.

[DeborahL]

Gumbo, thanks for the nice update ! I'm a caregiver, and nothing makes me happier than hearing good news, good care and love for our seniors.

[sheeshshe]

what is the secret to growing Okra anyways? I tried it twice and it wouldn't grow larger than 6 inches I just ordered a different variety in hope that it is better for my climate. I got cow horn Okra.