Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Plant file thread on Okra.

These are hot weather plants that could be somewhat perennial in really warm climates.

These plants are sensitive to iron and potassium deficiency, if these are lacking, young plants will be very vulnerable to attack as well as being a bit deformed. They can recover, mine did. A major pest of these plants is aphids and the ants are likely to farm them. Even so, I've left most of my okra plants to fend for themselves this season and gotten many, many pods despite the ants and aphids. I have in the past smeared petroleum jelly on the stems to make a barrier the ants won't cross which did help me get some pods in previous years.

The plants can get quite big so plan accordingly when planting. You don't want them leaning into you path since the hairs on the leaves can be quite irritating to the skin.

To keep the pods coming, one should pick (or cut) them often. If you let some get too big and tough to use normally, you can still throw the pod into a soup or stew to help thicken it. Just remove the pod before serving. Another option is to shell out the seeds which will still be edible even if the pods have gotten too woody to eat.

Many people like fried okra, or stewed with tomatoes. Okra can be pickled, frozen, used in soups, stews, Gumbo of course. I can also be dried for later used in soups, stews, and gumbo.

You can harvest the young okras and fry them quickly in garlic. Or add chilli and sambal into it. They are one of my favourite.

I grew a purple and a green Okra last season. It fruited fairly well, but I'm afraid I had not idea what to do with it, so didn't eat any .

Okra is one of those odd veggies that many people have no idea what to do with. Many more people only know perhaps a couple things about okra (either fried okra, "it's slimy", or gumbo.) I googled it and found a passage in The Encyclopedia of Country Living that listed several ways of preserving it and some different uses of it.

When the pods get too big and tough "woody" to eat, you can still use them to help thicken stews, just remove the pod before serving. Another thing to do when the pods get too mature for eating is to shell the seeds out and cook/eat them.

I'm a grow first, find out what to do with it later kind of gardener.

I know that this thread is about three years old, however, I just have to post something about one of my favorite veggies - OKRA - when about two inches long, eat it raw or in salad. Pick it every other day and never let it get over 4 inches long. All of the suggestions for use on this thread are good advice. I was raised in New Orleans and okra is a staple there. I ate it at least five times a week while growing up. Oh, yes - Chicken/Okra Gumbo.

I'm with you on this one Johnra, eaten small, raw and fresh, straight from the plant. The same way to eat peas, beans, cherry tomatoes and strawberries, most don't make it to the kitchen. Yum.

I just direct seeded Okra in my school aquaponics system about 3 days ago. Should I give them some string like the beans?

If the medium and the roots form a strong base I see no problem, however, some okra grows tall and wants to lodge over. I have only grown okra in soil gardens so I don't know about AP. I have put a post/stake in the ground before about 20 feet apart and run a wire/string from one end to the other about 3 or 4 feet off of the ground to tie plants to when they became tall and wanted to lodge. Tomatoes, Okra, Corn, and a few others. Maybe running a line like that in AP might work if the okra wanted to fall over. There is a short growing okra in USA, I think from Burpee, that only grown about 4 feet tall. Might be a good try for AP. Sorry I forgot the name of it.

In our place Okra really found everywhere, BUT as I try to plant Okra in my garden and as my skin touches its leaves, I feel itchy on my skin. Do anyone experience like this? Is this because of Okra's characteristic? or I have an allergy on Okras? but when I ate Okra, I feel nothing and I can taste it and i twas very good.

gt - This is normal. TCL mentioned it in the first post.

Some people even have to wear gloves when picking okra. Also watch out for ants, they love it and bite too. However, okra still taste delicious.

living in Orlando now, but from Mississippi - favorite way to eat okra is to olive oil it up, salt and pepper, hot oven till it gets a little crispy on the edges, and eat it with ketchup like a french fry ^_^

A new favourite, all aquaponic systems should grow okra.
Easy to grow, add to any curries , stews ,casseroles,when small eat in salad or fresh of the plant,and beaut flowers as well. Winner

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