Okra two ways

I just wanted to share - I planted okra for the first time this year and we didn't thin it in time. Thinning would have resulted in pulling up more than one plant by the time we got around to them. Fortunately, they still grew pretty well and we ended up with heaps of okra. I had a farmer's market customer tell me I needed to give the plants 4 feet. I planted a second crop (though too late, I think the weather is going to get too cold before they are big enough to bloom) and spaced them at 4 feet all the way around. HOLY MACKEREL. What a difference. The plants are beautiful, lush and the leaves are twice the size of a dinner plate. I only wish I'd planted them earlier so I could see what the difference in production would be like. Anyway - food for thought for next year!

Eileen

Eileen, I planted mine too close this year also. Last year I planted them with more spacing (I only gave 2 feet between plants). The plants with plenty of room produced more, probably more production per sq ft than the crowded plants.
The crowded plants got much taller and the wind during Hermine blew them over. I cut them back and they're putting side shoots making them more crowded.

I've got side shoots too, which basically results in lots of missed pods because they hide so very well. Oh, another thing, when I planted them, I stuck stakes in the ground (just little ones) and then mulched the ENTIRE planting area with about 4-6 inches of grass clippings. I pulled away about a 4-inch space right next to the stake and planted my seeds there. Once the plants came up, I mulched around their bases. Hardly any weeds at all, and what there are are super easy to pull up.

You don't need more than 18"-2' apart for most okra to produce at full tilt. Space at about 2' between rows, or just enough for you to fit down the row to pick. I've planted them at 12" but the stems are thin. More than two feet will give you lots of leaves and...lots of leaves. Short varieties might do fine at 12" apart. I grow Clemson Spineless. Side shoots seem to mature quickly if the plant branches on its own, but if you cut the plant it usually takes months to get pods. Farmers with longer seasons down in S. GA often cut their okra in succession to extend the harvest and make pods more accessible. The side shoots are a bonus though they tend to be weak and break easily. We are harvesting between ten and twenty pods every day from a twelve foot double row. Okra blanched frozen, canned, pickled, stewed, fried, frittered, gumbo and raw in salads. A few are now being left to go to seed for next year. BTW, Eileen, you can always thin by cutting the plants to the ground instead of pulling.
Laurel

Laurel, it didn't even occur to me to cut them! Jeez Louise, where's my head?!? LOL

So all I'm going to get is leaves then? The plants just look so darned HEALTHY! But no pods yet.

Well, some growers remove lower leaves as picking commences and continue as the plant grows to force greater production. My okra sheds naturally and is just now starting to branch. We are in the same zone. We get some okra from the branches but not much. Sometimes it continues to produce until frost and other times it quits when the days get chilly. LMK how yours does with all the leaves.
Laurel

Instead of pulling out plants to thin them, just snip them out with your shears or clippers.

My lone okra plant left from this year. We're letting the pods on top go to seed.

OK, so 2-3# of okra from a 34 ft row every other day is not bad production! That is what I'm getting from my overcrowded, branched from the bottom plants. I also mulched with grass clippings. I didn't think of cutting every other plant, sure would have made them easier to pick.
The hurricane blew them over and I couldn't get them to stand up so I cut the tops off. They were already making side branches and those really took off. Laurel is right about finding the pods, every day I find overgrown pods in that mess of side shoots that are huge.

Your okra sounds like it's doing very well. BTW, Mevnmart pointed out the missed pod problem, not I. I always ask SO to go over what I picked. He'll tease me and say I didn't have my "okra eyes" or "bean eyes" on and hold up a basketful of missed produce.

sorta on thread here -- have excess small pods and wonder if anyone can comment on just dropping some of them in a jar of jalapenos to "pickle" them?

Yes you can. You can also eat them sliced raw in salad. They are not slimey, rather crisp and nutty. If you drop them in the pickling jar they might get soft and soggy. I think it's better to pour hot pickling liquid over them and the jalapenos to minimize the surface bacteria that causes them to soften. Uncooked pods last longer out of the fridge. I often slice and saute them in a bit of olive oil and salt for just a minute or two minutes (until they change color). They are deliciously crisp if not over-cooked and good hot or chilled. No need to do the whole breaded and deep fried thing. I also make green onion and okra fritters.

Well phooey! We had a cool front come through with high winds. Broke off the top of my lone okra plant. I'd already collected other pods for seeds, but these were nice and fat. :( There are tons of side shoots and some of the other plants that I whacked down but didn't yank out are growing like crazy again.

I love okra in stir fry, raw in salads, in a cajun dish with tomatoes and remember eating fritters as a kid but can't remember how to make them.
One of my restaurant customers told me what to do to stop the okra from being slimy when cooked but I can't remember. It was a simple trick. I will have to ask them when they come to pick up their okra!

We do the double search on the okra too. Yesterday, I saw that one of the new plants actually has two blooms on it! So maybe I will get to see what Emerald Okra looks like after all! The plants are gorgeous and we may have another week of hot weather, but I'm afraid it won't be enough to actually see some major production. Ah well - I know better for next year!

Ooooo, those okra and onion fritters sound good!

And, yes please, Calalily. Could you please post the okra trip? I love okra but am new to trying to cook it myself.

As long as you keep okra DRY, it shouldn't slime. But as SOOOOOOOOON as any liquid hits em, they'll slime on yah.

A splash of VINEGAR will also keep the slime down... go figure...it's a liquid...probably the acid content...

Gymgirl, I think that was it, either vinegar or lemon juice! I also use lemon juice when cooking colored vegetables like purple broccoli to keep the color. (otherwise it turns green)

That settles it, then! It's the acid content! Aunt Beatrix splashed vinegar and baking soda into just about everything she cooked when she was here.

Meat that had a questionable "is this still good" date on it promptly was rubbed down with baking soda, rinsed thoroughly, and then cooked. We never once experienced anything remotely resembling body rejection, and no food got tossed!

Linda