Pods should be soft and the seed should be only half-grown. 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. Copyright 2020 Hoss Tools. Okra plants produce pods from mid-summer until temperatures drop in autumn, often up to the first frost. It also comes with a protective sheath making it safer to store when not in use. Okra plants will continue to produce fruit if the pods are harvested frequently. Water the plants regularly, and when the pods reach 3-4 inches in length, harvest them. When harvesting okra this twine knife can be worn either above or below the knuckle of your finger. Leave the pods on the plant until they have dried and turned brown, then cut them from the plant as you would as if harvesting them to eat. Nutritional Content. Between plants in a row, okra should be planted 9-12 inches and between rows of 3-6 feet. Copyright 2022 Hoss Tools. callback: cb Unless it is near the end of the growing season and you want to harvest the okra seeds, you should remove these longer pods from your plants when you find them. You might also consider wearing gloves and long sleeves as the okra leaves and pods have very fine hairs that may cause some irritation to your skin. 4. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy. Food Gardening Network and Food Gardening Magazine are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC. Sowing and planting okra. Watering cans allow you to better control exactly where the water is directed in your garden. Seeds can be dried on paper towel for a few days, prior to storing in an envelope for sowing next year. When I grew up and I tried cooking it, it too turned out SLIMMY!!!! Flowers and pods first appear at the base of the plant and then keep producing upward. Okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is a vegetable crop of high nutritional value, which presents great losses after harvest when stored under poor storage conditions. For okra seeds, a sowing depth of 1 cm is sufficient. Let us and the other readers know in the comments below! Transplant 12-18" apart in rows 3' apart. (800) 777-2658. If you want to start plants indoors before the outdoor growing season commences, you can try several environmentally friendly and free ways to begin with materials you probably already have: Using a pair of garden glovesand wearing long sleeveswhen youre tending to your plants is a good way to avoid skin irritation and to protect your fingers, hands, and arms. How to propagate okra Propagate by seed collected from older pods, which should be allowed to dry on the plant. event : evt, When picked often, okra will keep producing until the first frost. The device has been described as used for cutting an okra pod or flower from a plant. When harvest time is over, okra pods can be left on the plant to dry to save seed for next year. The crop is sensitive to frost and temperatures below 12C. This is one thing you can go basic onno need for anything fancy, as a simple plastic spray bottle is fine. CURBSIDE PICKUP WELCOME. You can freeze okra pods without blanching them, but blanching them destroys the enzymes and kills the bacteria that would cause the color, flavor, texture, and nutritional value of your okra to deteriorate. 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. Once you have your pods and decided on your recipe, consider how you cut the pods. When mature, I slice the pods and dehydrate for use in soup. Harvest okra early in the morning or late in the evening before temperatures rise, which helps prevent wilting. Our inventive, precision harvest tools include greens harvesters, machetes, knives, shears, and pruners, as well as the hones and sharpeners, sheaths, and replacement parts you need to keep them going year after year. Keep this knowledge in mind for your chosen variety (note it in your gardening journal!) 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. Okra grows very fast; therefore, it must be harvested every 2 days. If they are too difficult to cut, they are too old and should be removed as they will rob the plant of the nutrients it needs to produce new pods. If the stem is too hard to cut, the pod is probably too old and should be tossed. For recipes that call for okra, visit Foodal, where youll find: Cooking Southern Style with Healthy Variations, and Big Mamas New Orleans Style Cosmopolitan Seafood Gumbo.. For more guidance that will include more visual aids for all the visual learners out there and will also be more entertaining, please save the date for our upcoming virtual Good Food for Thought event, all about getting ready for Livin' la Vida Okra on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 3:00 pm.This fun AND practical event will include a presentation on how to plant your okra seeds with students . Standard varieties can top 8 feet ormore. Congrats! This is when okra is at its softest and mostdigestible. [6] 5. Letting the fruits get extra big can take just a few days, or maybe another week or more. Picking okra should be done when the pods are 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.) I grow okra, and have great success with the plant, but my question is what plants are compatible and what plants are combative with okra. At this stage, the pods are still tender. Round-podded okra varieties remain tender at larger pod sizes and are good to use for slicing and freezing. However, with a few cooking tricks, you can make them not only palatable, but delicious. Also Can Used for Cutting Paper. Okra flowers bloom for just one day and pods are ready for picking two or three days later. copyright 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC 1. 82 mg of calcium. In reply to I grow okra, and have great by Donna (not verified). But quick cooking will preserve more of its healthy nutritional benefits. So here we go with step by step instructions. But when are the plants ready to harvest and how do you do it? OKRA.ai also ranked 9th as one of the fastest growing tech companies in the UK with 4,227% growth over the last four years! Harvesting okra can be tricky, however, because you have to harvest the pods before they become tough. Okras BB-pellet size seeds have a hard shell. Put a paper bag over it so if the pods shatter, seeds will not belast. Harvest the pods when they're about 2-3 inches long. These nematodes cause knots on the roots of the plants that can drain the nutrients from the plants leaving them wilted in the garden. 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. For the planting medium, use a seed-starting mix and keep it constantly moist until seeds germinate usually in a week to 10 days. Choose a site in full sun with healthy soil and a lot of room. 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. All Rights Reserved |, Vegetable, Flower, Fruit and Ornamental Fungicide, FREE SHIPPING OVER $99 US 48 | INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AVAILABLE, Row by Row Episode 239: Secrets of Winter Squash, Row by Row Episode 238: How To Fix Leggy Seedlings, Row by Row Episode 237: How to Use Heat Mats, Row by Row Episode 236: New Garden Supplies That You Need, Row by Row Episode 235: Gardening In February, Row by Row Episode 234: New Irrigation Kits for 2023, Row by Row Episode 233: Tips and Tricks For Growing Potatoes, Row by Row Episode 232: Gardening In January, Row by Row Episode 231: NEW Seeds for 2023, Row by Row Episode 229: Cold-Tolerant Plants. 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. A severe freeze can damage pods. The plant will then branch out from the cut giving several limbs with blooms and pods, increasing production; also, the plant does not grow so very tall. Okra was brought to the United States in the 1660s by slaves. Okra is grown at elevations ranging from sea level to 1600 m. The optimum temperatures for the growth and production of high-quality pods range between 24 and 30C. Dont let mature pods stay on the plant; they will become stringy and bitter, andlike summer squashthe plant will stop producing. 4 in 1 Handheld Electric Vegetable Cutter Set, Mini Wireless Electric vegetables chopper, Electric Garlic Mud Masher for Ginger, Chili, Fruit, Meat, etc. Okra seeds won't germinate if it's too cold; the seeds will rot in the ground. All repel insect pests (like cabbage moths and spider mites) and also attract beneficial insects and pollinators. Once you have harvested the okra pods, they should be used within a few days for the best flavor and texture. 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. In central Iowa, mid to late May would be an appropriate planting date. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); .slick-slider#wpsp-83656 {margin-left: 0px; }.slick-slider#wpsp-83656 .wp-show-posts-inner {margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; }#wpsp-83656.wpsp-card .wp-show-posts-single {margin-bottom: 2em; }.slick-slider#wpsp-83656 .wp-show-posts-single {margin-bottom: 0px; }#wpsp-83656 .wp-show-posts-inner {background-color: #ffffff; }#wpsp-83656.wp-show-posts .wp-show-posts-entry-title {font-size: .9em; }.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-83656 {margin-left: -2em; }.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-83656 .wp-show-posts-inner {margin: 0 0 2em 2em; } Rows should be about three to four feet apart, as the plants will grow quite tall. Many people, especially in the American South, prepare the vegetable by frying it in a dredge of cornmeal. Okra most likely originated in northeast Africa where okra plants can be found growing wild along the banks of the White Nile River and where it has been part of the cuisine for thousands of years. Prior to dehydration, add a variety of seasonings and sea salt if you wish and eat them as a crispy snack. His Vegetable Garden Growers Masterclass is available online. ); He holds graduate degrees from the University of California and the University of Iowa. 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. Instead of harvesting okra, if you want to save some pods for seed leave them on the plant and harvest okra when they become fully mature and almost dry. By harvesting at the right size, it will ensure you're able to enjoy your okra this season- and it finds a place in future summer gardens to come. Now that I live in the Midwest, I dont see the crop as often in community gardens and at farmers markets. We recommend transplanting okra in the early spring to get a jumpstart on production and early germination of plants during the growing season. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Along with its height and growth structure, okra plants are known for their flowers. Another heirloom variety is Cowhorn which is an earlier producer that has long tender pods that reach up to 10 inches long. The pods that you will want to keep are the ones that are 2 to 4 inches long. In fact, it grows so quickly that its pods are ready to harvest only four to five days after you see the initial flower. Wear your garden gloves while pruning, and be sure to get a set of pruners or snippers that are comfortable in your hand when cutting. Where summers are short, especially in more northern areas, start okra seeds indoors in peat pots under full light 3 to 4 weeks before the last springfrost. However, once okra plants get so tall they become less productive and harvesting will be more difficult. Sow two seeds per peat pot and clip off the weaker seedling. Once youre done picking okra, store them in plastic bags in your refrigerator where they will last about a week or freeze the pods if you have too much to use. Hoss Tools 205K subscribers We've found the best tool for harvesting okra and cut flowers. When picked regularly you are able to get multiple harvests off one okra plant. Spread the pods out to dry on landscaping material or screens or hang them in mesh bags until the pods become brittle. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If an okra stem is too hard to cut, the pod is probably too old. Pods should be soft and the seed should be only half-grown. If you leave them too long, the pods get hard and woody. Okra is a warm season vegetable that produces long, thin, edible pods nicknamed ladies' fingers. Some areas of the country experience drought conditions in the spring and summer, and some municipalities may impose watering bans; that means hand watering only. Okra tastes best the day you pick it. If you didnt plant a spineless variety, you will probably want to wear long sleeves and gloves when searching for and harvesting okra because some gardeners find that the spines irritate their skin. Harvesting Okra Okra is ready for harvest 55 to 65 days after planting. Before transplanting, mix bone meal into the soil. Before planting, mix aged manure and/or compost into thesoil. If the pods are left on the plant too long, they can begin to split and become over-mature. If you leave a generous length of stem, you may bunch your stems, wrap them with twine, and suspend them upside down to dry in a cool, dry location for use in everlasting floral arrangements. It will produce pods five to six days after it blooms, and the pods will be ready for harvesting two to three days after they first appear. If the pods are still developing, your plant is stillhealthy. ", "In my view, OKRA can help take Pharma to a new level when it comes to truly benefitting from AI in their commercial practices, and it helps that theyre a great team to work with too!".