homegrownC harvest

Okra Livens Up the Summer Garden by Margene Whitler Hucek

IKE MANY people, my first en- GROWING GUIDELINES counter with stewed okra left me Okra is a warm-season vegetable that L unimpressed. But that changed can be grown successfully in any climate when, on a trip to New Orleans, friends where sweet corn grows. As few as six persuaded me to try shrimp gumbo. The plants will provide enough okra for most zesty dish—with no hint of the slime home culinary purposes. some people find objectionable—made If you live in an area with a short grow- a fan of me and I’ve been growing and ing season, choose varieties like ‘Jambalaya’ cooking okra ever since. that mature early and start seeds indoors in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a biodegradeable pots six weeks before the semi-tropical annual primarily grown last-frost date. Always wait until the soil for its edible seedpods. A close relative of warms to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit be- mallow family members such as hibiscus, fore planting either your okra seedlings or it is ornamental enough to be planted in direct seeding in the garden. Germination a mixed border. In addition to a pleasing can take up to three weeks, but nicking the upright, branching habit, it has attractive seed coats with nail clippers and soaking leaves and its large, hollyhocklike flowers seeds overnight will speed things up. are creamy white or yellow with crimson Keep in mind that okra is a branching centers. Even the upright seedpods are Okra pods, such as these of ‘Jambalaya’, top, plant that needs a lot of space; crowded decorative, especially on the varieties that should be picked while they are tender. Above: plants produce fewer pods. It will grow

have red or burgundy ones. Okra flowers resemble those of hollyhocks. most vigorously in loamy, free-draining ROBCARDILLO,TOP: BURPEEBILL SEEDS.BOTTOM: JOHNSON

46 the American Gardener Sources PLANTING BASICS Park Seed Company, Hodges, SC. Getting Started Plant outdoors (800) 845-3369. when soil temperatures are above www.parkseed.com. 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Or start Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah, IA. indoors six weeks before last-frost (563) 382-5990. www.seedsavers.org. date and transplant into warm soil. Territorial Seed Company, Cottage Spacing Sow seeds one inch deep Grove, OR. (800) 626-0866. and four inches apart. Thin shorter www.territorialseed.com. varieties to 12 to 15 inches apart and taller varieties to 18 to 24 inch- es apart. Space rows three to four soil enriched with compost. Apply a bal- feet apart, depending on cultivar. anced fertilizer such as fish emulsion at Days to Maturity 48 to 80 days planting time, then sidedress with liq- depending on cultivar. Pick pods uid fertilizer or compost every three to while small and tender, between Okra is a branching plant that needs full sun and four weeks during the growing season three to six days after flowering. ample room to grow and produce the best harvest. to increase production. Water regularly during periods without rainfall. ‘Red Burgundy’ yields dark purplish red, three inches long in most varieties, although PESTS AND DISEASES tender, six-inch-long pods on four-foot some of the long-podded types remain ten- Pests and diseases are seldom a problem with plants starting 55 to 60 days after planting. der until pods are six or seven inches long. okra, though aphids can become a nuisance. Its creamy-yellow flowers add to the show. If you leave pods on the plant too long Insecticidal soap or a strong jet of water is an ‘Silver Queen’, another heirloom vari- they become tough and overall produc- effective control. Stinkbugs can cause mis- ety, produces pale green, seven-inch-long tion is reduced. Okra will continue pro- shapen pods, so remove these pests by hand pods about 70 to 80 days after planting ducing until frost but if I end up with a and drop them into a jar of soapy water to and can reach six feet tall. few over-mature, inedible pods toward the kill them. (You don’t want to crush them end of the season, I allow them to dry on because they will release an offensive odor.) ENJOYING THE HARVEST the plant to use in fall flower arrangements. If your okra leaves suddenly turn yellow Pods mature quickly so check plants every Okra is best cooked within a day or and wilt, the plant may be infected with two to three days once production begins. two of harvest, but will keep in a plas- fusarium wilt, a soil-borne disease. Dig up Wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt and use tic bag in the refrigerator for a week. and destroy any infected plants immedi- a sharp knife or clippers when harvesting If you have an abundance, they can be ately, and plant okra in a different location okra because even the so-called spineless va- pickled, canned, or frozen. The flowers, the following year, as you should be doing rieties can irritate skin on contact. Pick pods which are also edible, have a mild, slight- anyway as part of a regular crop rotation. when tender and immature, usually two to ly sweet flavor. They can be stuffed or The plants are also extremely sensitive to battered and deep-fried. They also make cold, wet weather; in my Virginia garden, a beautiful garnish for summer platters. I wait until early July to plant okra in a bed Okra is rich in fiber, folate, and vi- that previously hosted a cool-season crop tamins C and K, but it also contains a of peas or lettuce. mucilaginous substance that some find objectionable. Adding tomatoes to okra RECOMMENDED VARIETIES helps reduce the sliminess, as does steam- ‘Clemson Spineless’ is an open-pollinated ing them whole, or frying them quickly variety that was a 1939 All-America Selec- over high heat. Conveniently, okra ma- tions winner. The vigorous, four-foot-tall tures in late summer, when there is an plants produce light green, smooth pods abundance of onions, tomatoes, and pep- beginning about 60 days after planting. pers to combine into gumbos. ‘Hill Country Red’ produces green pods For adding punch to your late summer tinged with red, 60 to 70 days after plant- garden, okra won’t disappoint. At a time ing, that are excellent for pickling. This other plants are beginning to fade, it will just robust heirloom variety reaches six feet tall. be coming into its own—providing both ‘Jambalaya’ is an early-maturing selec- ornamental and culinary fireworks with its tion ideal for gardeners with a short grow- lovely flowers and plentiful pods. m ing season. It produces an abundance of meaty, dark green pods on compact plants An ornamental edible, ‘Red Burgundy’ has Margene Whitler Hucek is a garden writer TOP: COURTESYTOP: EDWARDOF SIKORA,AUBURN UNIVERSITY, BUGWOOD.ORG. ROBCARDILLO,BOTTOM: BURPEE SEEDS TOP: ROBCARDILLO,TOP: BURPEEBILL SEEDS.BOTTOM: JOHNSON beginning about 50 days after planting. colorful stems and seedpods. based in Keswick, Virginia.

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