Okra

Scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus
Abelmoschus esculentus
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USDA hardiness zones:
-

Also known as Lady's fingers, or Gumbo. It is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate zones, being one of the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetables there is. Okra tolerates poor soils, heavy clay and irregular moisture.

Okra is usually grown as an annual vegetable for its seed pods which are harvested and eaten in the immature state. It is related to other beauties in the mallow family like cotton, cocoa and hibiscus. Its name comes from a Nigerian language where it is native, and it was introduced in the New World as early as 1658, during the height of the transAtlantic slave trade.

  • Dry to medium
  • Seedlings need consistent water

Seeds should be sown directly into the garden a week to two weeks after last frost in your region, when the soil has warmed up. Cool soil will slow germination, soaking seeds overnight will help speed it up. Seeds are sown 1 inch (2 cm) deep in hills 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) apart. Thin to 1 plant per hill when plants are about 3 inches (7 cm) tall. Seed pods should be harvested when they are still immature so they are tender " around 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) long for most varieties. Do not allow the pods to get too large as they will become woody and unpalatable. Pruning shears should be used to remove pods so as to not damage the plants which will continue to bear until they are destroyed by frost. If they are tough to cut then they will be too tough to eat. Care should be taken handling the plants as they have irritating hairs on the leaves and stems.

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Gardens with this plant

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Groundskeeper replied almost 3 years ago
Eat Your Hibiscus - Okra is closely related (same genus, different species) to hardy hibiscuses like ‘Disco Belle’ that bloom with flowers the size of dinner plates. The kinship shows when an okra plant blooms. The flowers are small and trumpet-shaped, not giant and flat like ‘Disco Belle,” but they have the same flamboyant pillars of stamens and pistils in their throats. Domesticated long ago in Africa, okra is an annual that produce large, edible seed pods, which are cooked young before they turn woody.
Groundskeeper replied almost 3 years ago
Okra pods are mucilaginous (or less politely, slimy). Some recipes, like gumbo, embrace the mucilage as a thickener. Other recipes suppress it. A few drops of lemon juice, or a different acid ingredient, breaks it up. A pod sliced in rounds and fried also works. The result is slightly crisp and firm, without the mucilage. By the way, okra is Hibiscus esculentus (esculentus means edible) and ornamental hibiscuses are Hibiscus moscheutos. Close kin, different breeding.

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