![]() When okra starts to bloom, harvest will happen within a few days. Depending on the cultivar, you could be harvesting 50 to 70 days after planting. Later, okra's mature canopy shades the planting area and helps reduce weed competition.įrom the planting date to harvest, okra is a fast-growing and high yield crop. Controlling weeds ahead of planting is critical, too. ![]() A balanced, slow-release fertilizer is a good choice for okra in the home vegetable garden. Okra grows best when the soil is above 65☏ and is well watered. Temperature and soil moisture are the limiting factors for okra's growth rate. Plan to soak the seeds in water for six hours prior to planting, too. Choose a sunny location with well-drained soil. In general, peak months stretch from March to November. South Florida can grow okra nearly year-round. Plant this warm-season vegetable when evening temperatures are in the mid-fifties. Okra is well suited for Florida's hot, humid summers. Varieties like 'Alabama Red' and 'Burgundy' offer bold, red foliage and striking flowers. Okra is increasingly valued as an ornamental, too. 'Cow's Horn' and 'Blondy' are also popular. For Florida, look for 'Annie Oakley II', 'Cajun Delight', 'Emerald', 'Clemson Spineless', and 'North and South'. Okra varieties come in a kaleidoscope of colors. When the crop gets too tall to pick, you can clear the rows and plant again. Most fall within the 3-6 foot range but check your seed source for more information. Plant heights vary by cultivar and pruning practices. Like hibiscus, okra has wide leaves and grows to the size of a medium shrub. Other family relatives include roselle and cotton. And for anyone noticing that the okra flower looks like a hibiscus flower, excellent detective work! Okra is in the taxonomic group Malavaceae, the hibiscus family. Botanically speaking, however, what we eat its edible fruit pod. CharacteristicsĬulinarily, okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus) is considered a vegetable. Florida gardeners appreciate okra's heat tolerance and long growing season. It is traditionally used to thicken soups or gumbos, or sometimes just served up fried. ![]() This not only helps keep your weight down, but makes you healthier over all.A staple of Southern cuisine, okra came to the Americas from Western Africa. High fiber content is great for the digestive tract and keeps you go ing more regularly. Okra’s dietary fiber helps you feel full for longer, which will keep you from snacking on those stray potato chips after dinner. Here are 20 impressive benefits of the deceptively simple looking okra: 1. Okra packs impressive amounts of nutrients into its little pods. While okra might be easy to overlook in the produce section, don’t overlook it in your health and weight-loss regimen. More and more people are now getting creative with okra as its versatility and nutritional spectrum becomes better known. It can also be chopped into stir fries or roasted in the oven for a crispier dish. In the southern U.S., it is an old favorite for thickening gumbo thanks to its gooey texture when cooked in water. Today, it is used in a variety of dishes around the world. A small, spear-shaped green veggie with a mild taste, okra resembles a pepper and has been cultivated as a food source for hundreds of years. Okra is a funny little green vegetable with a funny little name.
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