I planted some today.
I love it battered and fried crispy. Yum! We occasionally pickle it, too.

Okra is related to cotton and its blooms do look like hibiscus. It is a tall, stiff plant that will keep on producing as long as you keep picking. The leaves are a bit prickly, so wear long sleeves when you dive in for harvest time. Cut the pods when they are small (2-3 inches in length) otherwise they are tough.

Okra thrives in hot weather. Give it some water and stand back. Some folks tell me they have trouble getting seeds to germinate. I never do, but if you feel the need, give the seeds a soak for a couple of hours before planting. I plant, water and never have any trouble getting a good stand.

My potager is first and foremost a veggie garden designed to provide my family with yummy and nutritious veggies. The fact that it is pretty is for my soul. :) Plant what you want and be happy.

Happy

Yup!
I grow it. I love it!
I grow at least 2 kinds in fact. The Burgundy okra is especially pretty. They have creamy yellow hibiscu blossoms with burgundy throats.
{{gwi:37888}}

~ SweetAnnnie4u

Oh and I almost forgot...Okra makes yummy soup - Chicken-Okra Gumbo! One of my family's favorites!

Okra is a staple in the summer. Just be sure of the variety you plant. I planted some Louisianna Velvet one year, and we had to cut it down with a chain saw. LOL, DH said we fed it too good!

I agree that the potager is first and foremost for providing good veggies to eat.

Janie

Oh, that red variety looks interesting. I could have some of that and some purple basil to add some color and still be good to eat.

Happy

...And don't forget to plant Royal Purple bush beans. Gorgeous deep purple bean that turns green when you cook it. "Magic beans" my kids called them.
You can plant pole beans and plant some Scarlet Runner beans in with to add bright red flowers to your bean patch, and you can eat them all.
The Burgundy okra makes 7-9 inch tender pods. Beautiful and delicious.
Plant zinnias and red and purple dahlias near your beans or tomatoes. Plant purple cabbages near chives - they are great companion plants and look great in the Potager because of their colors.
Lettuce comes in pretty colors and textures and Mesclun mix has it all in one.

SweetAnnie4u

Sweet Annie, you enabler you...I love purple. Purple food is a lot of fun. How will I justify more gardening expense????

Happy

Yeah, I'm thinking Annie is a first class enabler, too. ; ) I'm gonna have to try okra now. It really is a pretty plant. I've never tasted it, or at least I can't remember tasting it. What is it similar to, if anything?

I'm going to try some different types of beans this year, as well. I'll look for those purple kind. My DH and sons love green beans made in the pressure cooker with bacon and onions. It's a staple dish at every holiday. Purple beans would be a neat twist. Thanks!

Diana

Roma beans (or Romano) are about the best bean I have ever eaten! They are an Italian green bean. Easy to grow, prolific and delicious!
They don't taste like any other bean, so I cannot compare it any other.
Okra is one of those vegetables that you either like or you don't, I think. I like it every way except boiled. In soup, it adds a great flavour and acts as a thickner. Goes great with tomatoes. I like it cut into round slices, coated with cormeal and flour, salt and peppered and fried 'til golden and crunchy. Yum!

Okra, beans, and lentils make a good soup... it's good in corn chowder, too. How many purple okra and bean plants will feed a family of two? I am trying to decide how many to plant, so there will be room for other veggies...

hi! i planted okra seeds this year but overwatered them so they didnt germinate... but i think i had some extra and sprinkled them in a pot with different seeds and now i have no idea what is what! please can someone post a photo of an okra seedling? thank you so much!
ustya

They have big leaves and look like their relatives, Hibiscus.

So, do you think it is too late to plant Okra?
I haven't eaten it in years and would love to grow
some. My dad always planted it when we were growing
up, and we always ate it breaded & deep fried.

Thanks for reminding me!
Mary

Where cotton is king, okra is queen. And cotton and okra are kin. As a gourmet cook, I find fresh okra indespensible. I cook a chicken and sausage gumbo (I have sausage shipped from Dozier's in Fulshear, TX) with okra that is to die for. Fresh okra is almost as important to me as fresh corn.
Okra tips: 1. Okra seeds (Oak-rey, as my old pappy sez. And pappy is a PhD entomologist with a masters in horticulture. Pappy know his oak-rey!) germinate at T>80 degrees-F. At my NC mountain house I wait until mid-May to plant okra. 2. Cut the okra before the pods get too big (2"-3" is ideal). Late in the season it will grow quickly, and pods over about 5" are too tough for cooking. 3. Harvesting okra is a dermatological challenge. Wear long sleeves and gloves if the okra makes you itch. 4. Cooking okra .. what can I say? Well, in addition to stewing and frying, there is inclusion in soups and gumbos. There is a way to ruin a gumbo with okra (stringy-stringy mess!), but I've forgotten what that was. I have also forgotten the cure for stringy okra gumbo. I've been making it for so long now that it is always near-perfect (RIGHT!).

Mac

Oh, that plant is beautiful! I was wanting one until I read the above post! I do not think we will make it to 80 on the hottest day here in Eastport...

Leasa

Do you think that it would grow this far north, in the Ottawa Valley?

I love gumbo, and the crunchy fried sounds yummy!!!

Thanks.

I planted 2 rows of Okra this weekend. Warming up in the
90's already in zone 5.
Hoping for a good crop!
Mary

My sister from Arkansas sent me a picture of the bloom on an okra and I love it....I love to eat it too....How does it do in Michigan?....Overwinter....?....Thank you

What do you mean by overwinter?
You can save seed for next season.
I have yet to see a bloom on my orka.
Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: Easy Gardening...Okra

with a little finagling, i manage to grow a few okra plants every year here in massachusetts' capricious climate.

each spring i'm seduced by our first warm days & foolishly plant it too early & it doesn't germinate, but the second or third sowing eventually does take. what the heck, there are a lot of seeds in a packet & hope springs eternal, right?
:0)

i have a smallish raised bed devoted to okra & sage, both of whom thrive in relatively dryish, full-sunny conditions. last year's clemenson spineless were godzilla-like & glorious, but this year i'm back to the more tidy-sized gorgeous purple. can't wait until it blooms.

good stuff, okra.

Gretchenmi - I think we are pioneers!! lol. I had a look at the seeds on a web site - it said about a 100 days to harvest, so I think we could grow it up here. We'd probably have to start it indoors, but won't it be fun!!