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.
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