Pretty And Productive Okra

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Pretty and productive okra earns a good place in our flower beds. With its creamy yellow, maroon-centered blooms, this handsome hibiscus relative is an elegant companion to our summer annual flowers.

Our particular favorite is the variety known as “Burgundy”, with rich red stems and leaf veins on 4 foot tall plants.

Even the pods are red. It  is a flashy, 1988 All-America Selections winner that has deep red stems and leaves streaked with similar coloration, matching the dark red of the tender pods.

If you want to try these beauties, just remember to keep them picked to keep the flowers coming. And, enjoy them raw or cooked. Just be aware that they’ll turn green if you cook them.

‘Red Velvet’ closely compares to ‘Burgundy.’ Small in stature but just as pretty — and productive — is ‘Little Lucy,’ a hybrid dwarf red okra that sports burgundy pods that blend nicely with its maroon-veined foliage.

Folks down South have dozens of kinds of okra to choose from. Up North, though, it pays to do some homework, to find a variety that matures early and has had a good dose of cold tolerance breed into it.

Our second best variety after “ Burgundy ” is “ Blondy ”. It matures in 48 days and is a sturdy 3- footer that performs as well in containers as it does when it’s in the ground.

Even as the summer season draws to a close, okra pods that have grown long and tough can be interesting additions to dried arrangements. Just allow the unpicked pods to dry on their stalks, then add them to indoor creations.

Their light brown or reddish cast will lend a subtle, earthy tone to arrangements, but for more glitz, spray-paint the pods. Gold- and metallic-flecked colors make them stand out.

Okra comes by its heat-craving tendencies naturally. It hails from northern Africa.  As long as you can give it some warmth, though, it’s a snap to grow.

Okra needs full sun and a soil pH that’s between 6.0 and 8.0. I till my soil down at least 8 inches, and work in plenty of well-rotted compost manure.

And, because the plants get anywhere from 3 to 8 feet tall, I put my crop where it won’t shade other sun lovers.

Whether you live in the North or the South, okra needs a steady supply of moisture to produce well. Make sure your plants get at least an inch of water a week.

If there’s a downside to growing okra, it’s the spines that cover the plants. They are really tiny. But, they can cause a big problem when you brush up against them.

Some folks break out in a rash if they rub up against okra leaves. Traditional advice is to grow “ spineless” varieties, like “Clemson Spineless”.

But, what we didn’t know is that only the pods of these varieties are spineless. There are still plenty of spines on the leaves and stems.

We learned this from painful personal experience, so now we always wear gloves and long sleeves when working around our okra plants- “spineless” or not.

*   Here is  one of our favorite okra recipes. This is a very simple and tasty side dish.

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic

Half of a red onion

2 tablespoons of olive oil

5 large tomatoes

3/4 pound of okra

1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup of sliced olives

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Saute garlic (minced) and red onion (sliced) in olive oil. Add chopped tomatoes and okra, cut into 1/2- inch- thick pieces.

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the okra is soft, but not limp.

Add chopped fresh basil and sliced olives. Cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper, and you’ve got yourself a great garden-fresh vegetable dish that serves four.

Want to know more about pretty and productive okra?

Then, click  here:

» Okra Is The Ideal Vegetable For Weight Loss » Natural Health Solutions

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Yours truly, Polly – Organic Gardener

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