One of my favorite summer craw in the front cubic yard garden is okra , and I ’m still busy picking pods this season . This classical southern basic thrives in the humid South Carolina summer that seem to last from April to October . Okra always has a plentiful harvest of tasty immature pods and doubles as a show stopping ornamental . A relative of the hibiscus , most okra varieties feature a gorgeous large , yellow bloom with a cryptical - majestic interior helps attract many beneficial pollinators to your one thousand .
Grow and Harvest
When planting okra in a pocket-size garden you need to think about the exact location within the plot of land . Okra is a very improbable plant with some full - sized cultivars easily gain 7 feet or more . This extreme acme mean that you need to place your Abelmoschus esculentus so that it does not shade off out other crops or blockade access to other plants .
When your okra plant start producing pods , you will need to contrive to harvest every two or three days . harvest home okra with a sharp knife or clipper when pods are 2 to 4 inches long to ensure they ’re tender , not sturdy and hempen . transfer bombastic pods to encourage continued bloom and okra yield . I recommend wearing gloves when harvesting okra because the plant is a known skin irritant to some individuals .
Choose a Variety
I care rise the popular Clemson Spineless okra plant variety , which is noted for its high productiveness and good disease resistance . you’re able to total some variety to your okra plant harvest by grow interesting heirlooms , such as Cowhorn lady’s-finger that features extremely long arc green pods , or selecting unique varieties , such Burgundy Abelmoschus esculentus that create arresting red seedcase , stems and colorful tinted leaves .
Folks living in coolheaded northern climate can think about growing shorter hybrid okras , such Annie Oakley II or Dwarf Long Green . These gnome okras only extend to 2 to 3 tall and can start produce in a shortsighted 50 or 60 days , which is perfect for gardeners with shortsighted growing time of year .
Save Your Seeds
One of the fun aspects of acquire heirloom or schematic okra ( excluding hybrids ) is save the seeds for next year . Near the end of the summer , provide several large pods on your okra plant , letting them dry out out . When the fuel pod are ironical and the seeds rattling , remove the pods and store them in a ironic , cool space until next summertime .
I know okra plant is a divisive vegetable in many house , but even if you do n’t love the gustatory modality or its peculiar grain , consider save a spot in your garden for this attractive vegetable . No one says you have it eat it . Give it to your neighbors , partake in it with your co - worker or compost away .
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