All Rights Reserved. Cut back one-third of the tops of your okra in the late summer if you live in a warm climate with okra plants varieties growing up to 8 feet tall. Harvest okra when pods are 1 to 4 inches long. We recommend using a cover crop like Broadleaf Mustardthat will release chemicals to help suppress nematode, fungi, and insect populations and increase organic matter which will improve soil tilth and quality of the soil structure in the vegetable garden area. Okra plants will continue to produce fruit if the pods are harvested frequently. Once the plant starts growing and reaches a height of about 3 inches, begin thinning the plant to be 30-45cm apart from each other. Harvesting History was founded in 2016 to provide its customers with the finest quality horticultural and agricultural products available today including seeds, roots, bulbs, tubers, plants, garden tools and equipment, garden clothing, and garden-related books and art. The pods that you will want to keep are the ones that are 2 to 4 inches long. This is one thing you can go basic onno need for anything fancy, as a simple plastic spray bottle is fine. On the stove, cook for 25 minutes and the soft insides of okra will help create a nice thick savory broth to serve overrice. While more expensive than a simple watering can, an investment in an irrigation system can pay offspecially to ensure proper watering when youre at work or on vacation! Invest in a higher quality trowel, and youll have it for years! How to Battle Colorado Potato Beetles in Your Garden. In fact, if this is your first summer with okra you may have mistaken it for a weed. Prior to dehydration, add a variety of seasonings and sea salt if you wish and eat them as a crispy snack. Get yourself a good-sized watering can, and have some fun finding a watering can with an interesting design that fits your personality. Seeds can be dried on paper towel for a few days, prior to storing in an envelope for sowing next year. Okra pods can be cooked just after harvest in stews, gumbos, or as a fried side dish. Dont let mature pods stay on the plant; they will become stringy and bitter, andlike summer squashthe plant will stop producing. The major growing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa. 23 mg of vitamin C. 0.2 mg of thiamin. this makes a good side dish just like that or proceed to make stew or gumbo. The Ultimate Tool for Harvesting Okra Hoss Tools 224K subscribers Subscribe 16K views 5 years ago The Handy Twine Knife is the ultimate tool for harvesting okra in your vegetable garden. The first flower buds, flowers, and subsequent pods will appear among the large leaves at the base of the plant. COMPANY. How to Grow and Care for Elephant Bush Indoors, How to Grow and Care for Elephant Bush Indoors, .slick-slider#wpsp-83657 {margin-left: 0px; }.slick-slider#wpsp-83657 .wp-show-posts-inner {margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; }#wpsp-83657.wpsp-card .wp-show-posts-single {margin-bottom: 2em; }.slick-slider#wpsp-83657 .wp-show-posts-single {margin-bottom: 0px; }#wpsp-83657 .wp-show-posts-inner {background-color: #ffffff; }#wpsp-83657.wp-show-posts .wp-show-posts-entry-title {font-size: .9em; }.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-83657 {margin-left: -2em; }.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-83657 .wp-show-posts-inner {margin: 0 0 2em 2em; } Avoid too much nitrogen, which deters flowering and encourages leafy growth. When harvesting okra, it is best to use scissors or a sharp knife to cut the pods off the plant. 1121 Main Street | P.O. Quick Guide: Planting, Growing & Harvesting Okra. If the pods are still developing, your plant is stillhealthy. [7] 6. Always look for the stronger plants when thinning. 36 mcg of vitamin A. Okra also provides some iron, niacin . Gloves can also help ensure that you don't accidentally cut the okra stems while harvesting. Okra is sometimes calledladys fingers thanks to the vegetableslong, slender, elegantshape. If youre growing in a warm climate, you may cut plants to the ground mid-season to let them grow up again for a fall crop. The device has been described as used for cutting an okra pod or flower from a plant. The seeds will remain viable for up to three years if they are stored in a dark, dry, cool place that is protected from pests. A severe freeze can damage pods. Healthy Purple Produce: Should You Eat More Purple Fruits and Vegetables? In 2020, Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), and UNDP Cambodia worked with Okra Solar to deploy mesh-grids to 140 off-grid households across 3 villages. Storing. And they often grow quickly, within a few days after flowering. Easy to grow and use, it also has beautiful flowers that look great throughout the growing season! In reply to My Mother tried to cook some by Jay (not verified). With heavy producers like 'Burgundy,'. Keep soil mix temp. One of the main tips that okra enthusiasts will share with new okra growers is when to harvest okra. Bigger than this and you will find that the pods are woody and not as tender as they could be. While tedious and even sometimes difficult to do with a watering can, you might want to consider an irrigation method for keeping your plants slowly and deeply watered. There are several different okra varieties that we have available that are not only productive but have excellent flavor profiles. Our sister site, Foodal, has articles to consult for information on pickling and canning vegetables that you may easily apply when youve got a bumper crop on your hands. Rows should be about three to four feet apart, as the plants will grow quite tall. Sow okra seeds outdoors about two weeks after the danger of frost is past. Twine knife (ring knife): This little gizmo will make harvesting your okra so much easier. Care and Feeding Vegetables in Containers, Fertilizer for Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants, Grow Bags: Best Vegetable Varieties to Grow, Balcony and Rooftop Vegetable Garden Basics. For the planting medium, use a seed-starting mix and keep it constantly moist until seeds germinate usually in a week to 10 days. Alternately, place the pods in a lidded jar and store in the refrigerator. Either method encourages germination. Okra plants will continue to produce fruit if the pods are harvested frequently. Whats Killing My Broccoli? Look for Okra pods that are 2 - 3 inches long with a bright green or purple color. Dry some sliced pods for snacks, or to store for using with soup, stew, and gumbo recipes. Simply use pruning shears or a sharp knife to cut the stem, leaving about 1/4 inch of the stem at the top of the okra pod. 57 mg of magnesium. The plants grow back and product another crop ofokra. There are five sizes ranging from 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14. Her background includes landscape and floral design, a BS in business from Villanova University, and a Certificate of Merit in floral design from Longwood Gardens. Use a hand pruner or twine knife to slice ripened pods from the plant, and youll be in and out of the okra patch in record time. Okra pods are best when picked young. Plant okra in the spring or early summer once the threat of frost has passed. Just make sure you have a good trowel to mix with. In northern climates, plant okra indoors four to six weeks prior to the last frost date. Sow the okra seeds inch deep in light soil and 1 inch deep in heavy soil. Our tools and equipment are designs that have proven invaluable to gardeners for many, many generations. If you collect rainwater, you can put it to good use when it comes time to tend your plants. The pods should be harvested when they are 2-3 inches in length. A major pest that can harm the growth of okra plants is root-knot nematodes. If pods stay wet, they will potentially begin to mold and develop a slimy, outer coating. Or you can leave them unseasoned to use them in stews, where theyll reconstitute and work as a thickening agent. Older, tougher pods may be harvested and shelled for their unripe seeds which can be cooked like peas. Plant seedlings 12-18 inches apart in rows 24-36 inches apart. A few days after the flowers, come the edible seed pods. The Handy Twine Knife fits on the top of your finger and allows you to harvest with the flick of. 3. window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { Keep this knowledge in mind for your chosen variety (note it in your gardening journal!) Wear gloves and handle the pods as little as possible, to prevent softening before use and skin irritation. This tool is a vinyl-coated ring that slides onto your finger that makes it easier to harvest vegetables and cut twine when using the trellising technique. The way to harvest okra is to wear gloves and long sleeves when picking pods to prevent the possibility of getting a rash from the small spines, and use garden shears or a sharp knife to gently cut the pods from the plant without bruising them. Stephen Albert is a horticulturist, master gardener, and certified nurseryman who has taught at the University of California for more than 25 years. Okra needs to be harvested when it is four to five inches long. Mequoda Publishing Network The handy twine knife comes in five different colors that vary based on your finger size. Soaking aids moisture absorption and germination. If the pods cut or snap open easily, they are still good, but you should use them within a day or two. Do you want to learn more? Spineless types have pods that dont present this problem. Dry it out and use it in floral arrangements or save the seeds for nextyear. You may also prepare soaked or freshly picked okra by baking, roasting, or grilling it for a crisp texture, to be eaten that way or added to slow-cooked soups and stews. The name, okra, comes from the West African Ashanti word, nkruma, and its Cajun name, gumbo, comes from the Bantu word, ngombo. Okra does not like to have its roots disturbed, so plants must be started in individual pots. This way, you can still get through harvest season before it gets too cold. Also: Prepare the soil, with a hole and a soil-less medium at the base of the hole . Uncredited photos via Shutterstock. Okra flowers bloom for just one day and pods are ready for picking two or three days later. To reduce the viscous quality of okra's slimy mucilage, try soaking it in vinegar or lemon juice for about 30 minutes, or parboil it. Nutritional Content. It may be tempting to leave fruits on the plant to see how large theyll get, but dont unless you plan to use them in a floral arrangement, or dry them for seeds. The more you pick okra the more youll get. Okra grows fast in temperatures that range from 75 - 90 degrees. Picking okra is simple, just test the larger pods by cutting them open with a sharp knife. It is a simple garden task you will perform a few times a week. 13 Common Diseases. The longer they grow, the tougher they are. These are what you are after to harvest and cook. myself I saute` tomatoes [with onions if you like] and add cut okra. Please tell us which items you absolutely need for your gardening. Your okra will mature from 50 to 65 days after you plant it, depending on the growing conditions and the variety you planted. This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. Okra is a warm season vegetable that produces long, thin, edible pods nicknamed ladies' fingers. 1 to 2 days after that time you may begin to harvest the pods because they are softer and easier to digest when eaten. Okra seeds won't germinate if it's too cold; the seeds will rot in the ground. If the pods are left on the plant too long, they can begin to split and become over-mature. Our horticultural and agricultural products are largely heirloom varieties that can be reliably offered to our customers year after year. Summer insect pests do like okra. This will result in more side branches. Okrathrives in warm weather and is traditionally grown in the southern U.S., though there are varieties for northern growers, too. One of my main memories of my grandmother is suiting up to harvest from the long rows of okra that we would grow. Please tell us which items you absolutely need for your okra gardening. Learn More "Working with OKRA to co-develop tools for our field teams has been really satisfying, it has been like working with a trusted partner, open and honest discussion and ability to challenge each other leading to a . 2022University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign|College of ACES| Web Privacy Notice|EEO|Accessibility|Staff Login|myExtension, Extension Educator Local Food Systems and Small Farms, Serving Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Winnebago, Serving Carroll, Lee and Whiteside Counties, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. CURBSIDE PICKUP WELCOME. Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own gardenwith our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox. Harvesting Okra Okra is ready for harvest 55 to 65 days after planting. 4. Pods should be soft and the seed should be only half-grown. Note: Okra has large, hairy leaves, as well as tiny spines on its pods, both of which may cause skin irritation; consider wearing gloves and/or long sleeves when handling. Try steaming it in a basket until it's bright green. (function() { Harvest the okra when seed pods are 1 to 2 days old and 2 to 4 inches long; these appear about 2 months after planting. Browse 140 harvesting okra stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. If you dont already have some of these items, please check our Resources about Okra for recommended suppliers for acquiring the right tools and equipment.
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