Easy to grow and use, it also has beautiful flowers that look great throughout the growing season! 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. This way, you can still get through harvest season before it gets too cold. ", "The team is superb, very collaborative and willing to flex their approach to meet our needs. You will need to pick them before the pods become too hard to be enjoyed. Its also one that looks very different compared to your other summer crops. Okra needs to be harvested when it is four to five inches long. Use your spade to move around compost, dig soil for your initial plant hole, and to keep your garden soil tidy. Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own gardenwith our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox. Cut the stem just above the cap with a knife. The device has been described as used for cutting an okra pod or flower from a plant. Let the pods stand for 30 minutes while still tossing them every five to ten minutes. Remember not to do this if you still plan on harvesting okra to eat. Okra does not store well, but if you must keep okra more than a day or two, store pods in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator. So here we go with step by step instructions. Large mature pods become tough and stringy. When harvesting okra this twine knife can be worn either above or below the knuckle of your finger. Always look for the stronger plants when thinning. Harvest okra when pods are 1 to 4 inches long. Refrigerate okra pods after harvest. A few days after the flowers, come the edible seed pods. Flowers and pods first appear at the base of the plant and then keep producing upward. Plant okra in the spring or early summer once the threat of frost has passed. Water the plants regularly, and when the pods reach 3-4 inches in length, harvest them. Thank you for stopping by! Dried okra pods and stalks can look great as flower arrangements or holiday decorations. Plant the seeds in well-drained soil in a sunny location, spacing them 6-8 inches apart. It can also be used for cutting other types of vegetables from the plant such as green beans (pole or bush). this is actually enhanced by contact with water in those classic stewed dishes. Temperature is the key to a successful okra harvest. My Mother tried to cook some okra years ago and it turned out SLIMMY! This is one of the reasons many do not like to eat okra. If the pods are left on the plant too long, they can begin to split and become over-mature. Now that I live in the Midwest, I dont see the crop as often in community gardens and at farmers markets. How to propagate okra Propagate by seed collected from older pods, which should be allowed to dry on the plant. The Handy Twine Knife fits on the top of your finger and allows you to harvest with the flick of. [7] 6. While that's soaking, put about a cup of cornmeal in a dish with salt and pepper. To grow okra at home, start by purchasing okra seeds from a reputable nursery or garden center. Sow two seeds per peat pot and clip off the weaker seedling. Once you have harvested the okra pods, they should be used within a few days for the best flavor and texture. 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. If they are difficult to cut open, then they have become too mature, and you should add them to your compost. To avoid having to climb a ladder to harvest your okra, you can trim it back. His books include Vegetable Garden Growers Guide, Vegetable Garden Almanac & Planner, Tomato Growers Answer Book, and Kitchen Garden Growers Guide. Harvest okra pods using garden pruners or scissors leaving a short stub attached to the fruit. This pruning technique causes the buds to grow on the main stem and produce a secondary, late crop. Okra blooms do not last more than a day before falling off, leaving behind the small green nub that will eventually turn into the okra pod, which will be ready to harvest in a few days. Get Your Daily Dose of B Vitamins with These Homegrown Vegetables, How to Plant and Grow Daikon: Add Some Zing to Your Garden. A standard sprinkler system is not the best solutionwhile easy to set up, the wide-ranging water coverage of a sprinkler can lead to wet plant leaves that promote diseases and can encourage weeds. Nan Schiller is a writer with deep roots in the soil of southeastern Pennsylvania. Okra plants will continue to produce fruit if the pods are harvested frequently. The tender young leaves are also edible, for a fresh addition to salads, or as a cooked side dish. You may see that as you harvest your pods. After soaking for a while, dredge the slices in the cornmeal, covering evenly. Sow the okra seeds inch deep in light soil and 1 inch deep in heavy soil. Removing them will encourage more pods to appear higher on the plant. 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When harvesting okra this twine knife can be worn either above or below the knuckle of your finger. Gently rinse and pat dry before use in recipes. Shop products from small business brands sold in Amazons store. You are better off washing the pods closer to when you decide to cook with them. 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! Okra plants are tall, sospace out the rows 3 to 4 feetapart. Make sure soil is loose to accommodate large roots. Larger okra pods tend to be tough and fibrous. Okra pods are delicate so be careful when handling the pods so they don't bruise. Your email address will not be published. You'll find the Hod is one garden tool that's useful indoors our out..any time of the year! 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. 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. 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 . A 2-3 inch high layer of mulch will execute the job abundantly. Also, you want one that has a comfortable grip. Pods refrigerated for more than a day or two often suffer chilling injury and turn black. To prevent the seeds from rotting, the soil should have warmed to at least 65 degrees. TOOLS & SERVICES. 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! Pods should not be washed immediately unless you plan to cook with them that day. To control the emergence or spread of plant diseases and pests, get a dedicated spray bottle for your potion to do the job. Harvest the pods every day or two if you can or as often as you can as they can quickly turn tough and woody as they grow bigger. Okra tastes best the day you pick it. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee 69 Products Sort By: Victorinox Serrated Knife When the weather turns hot, you are going to have an abundance of okra. Below is a list of items to consider. 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. Before sowing, it is useful to soak the seeds for 24 . Of course, the most famous okra dish is probablygumbo. With additional writing and editing by Mike Quinn and Allison Sidhu. Label a paper bag with the seed variety and date harvested. If the pods are tender, use a sharp knife to cut the stem cleanly just below the okra pod. Hods are available in two sizes to meet nearly any need. When your chosen varieties approach maturity, pods begin to form. It's important to plant okra at the right time. 1 to 2 days after that time you may begin to harvest the pods because they are softer and easier to digest when eaten. 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. A severe freeze can damage pods. Get yourself a good-sized watering can, and have some fun finding a watering can with an interesting design that fits your personality. 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. A planting distance of 50 x 50 cm would be ideal. These are what you are after to harvest and cook. 23 mg of vitamin C. 0.2 mg of thiamin. Leaving them on the plant will slow the production of new pods as the plant turns its energy toward growing and maturing the seeds in the older, longer pods. It takes only about four days from the time of flowering to the time to pick okra. 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. 80-90F (27-32C) for fast germination. Harvest the pods when tender and immature, about 5-10cm (2-4in) long. 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 a couple of different ways to control these nematode problems in the garden area. This variety also produces light green to almost white pods that make them unique from other okra varieties. All Rights Reserved. Sign up for our newsletter. Even so-called spineless varieties may have some setulose growth, so dont be surprised if you encounter these fine protrusions on pods, stems, and leaves. 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. Use a hand pruner or twine knife to slice ripened pods from the plant, and you'll be in and out of the okra patch in record time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at Okra bears pretty flowers before making fruit. While in the same plant family, hollyhock and hibiscus are in two different genera than okra. Rinse the okra and drain. For okra seeds, a sowing depth of 1 cm is sufficient. The pods become woody, the spines firmer, and the stems harder to cut. When you are harvesting okra at the base of the plant, you may have your hands full as you try to cut stems while holding back the leaves. Rows should be about three to four feet apart, as the plants will grow quite tall. Regardless of type, irritation does not occur when you eatokra. Pods may also be deformed due to the Brown Marmorated Stinkbug, which can cause your okra pods to be misshapen and twisted. Harvesting okra can be tricky, however, because you have to harvest the pods before they become tough. Severely hot, dry weather or a harsh change in temperature, or poor drainage can cause bud drop. Thanks, I live in south Georgia my orka plants are just starting to bloom but the bloom is turning brown and falling off. 60 micrograms (mcg) of folate. For Alaska and Hawaii, select your state on the following checkout page for a shipping quote. Just remember that harvesting okra needs to be done often. on: function(evt, cb) { 13 Common Diseases. Prune dwarf varieties of okra in the same way to rejuvenate the plants. It wont hurt the pods to let them fall to the ground at these low levels. Please tell us which items you absolutely need for your gardening. Whats Killing My Broccoli? Okra not only produces pods quickly, but the pods also grow and mature quickly. } In fact, if this is your first summer with okra you may have mistaken it for a weed. His Vegetable Garden Growers Masterclass is available online. Handle them gently as the skin is easily marked. Place the okra pods in the bag, fold over the top, then store in a dark, 45 degree Fahrenheit location until spring planting. If you struggle to cut the stem of the okra pods, it's very likely too old to eat. 1121 Main Street | P.O. 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. There are several different okra varieties that we have available that are not only productive but have excellent flavor profiles. 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. Harvest often: The more you pick, the more flowers will appear, and okra goes from flowering to fruit in a fewdays. To maintain a specific variety of okra, however, you will need to save seeds from five to 10 plants, and to preserve a rare variety, you will need the seeds from 10 to 25 plants. Okra should be harvested cut-and-come-againthat means pick pods every other day so that you get pods when they are tender and taste best. A drip-watering irrigation system that operates on a timer is one of the best irrigation solutions for watering plants. When the seedlings are about 3 inches tall, thin the plants so that they are 18 to 24 inchesapart. The best tool for harvesting okra in the garden is our Handy Twine Knife. If the pods are still developing, your plant is stillhealthy. The results shown that the new tool could harvest 297-318 okra per hour (10.0 - 10.9 kg/hr) without damaging pods and also provides better protection to the hands of workers. When sowing your seeds, do so about half an inch to one inch deep.