Anyone tried okra in 2 1/2 gallon containers?

I know okra is a big plant that is best suited for a 5+ gallon container but I have exhausted all my big containers and still have some okra saplings left. I was wondering if anyone ever tried growing them in smaller containers with success.

I have 10 saplings left and my available containers are 4 1/2 gallon-3, 3 gallon -1 and 2 1/2 gallon -4

Thanks

I have never grown okra before. Does it have a tap root? Is that why you want the deeper planter?

Jeanette

It's the first time I am growing okra. All my knowledge is courtesy google. So I am not sure if it needs a big container because it can grow very tall or due to the root system

It grows really tall.

I am trying the okra this year for the first time also. I don't expect mine to get as big as they grow in Texas due to my short growing season. I may just have to settle for the pretty blossoms. I may not get any produce at all. But, from the pictures I saw, that is ok, would like to try some to eat but may have to purchase them in the grocery store. LOL

Jeanette

What's really funny is that my flowers don't open fully, but they do set fruit! LOL

That is weird. I wonder how they get pollinated. Don't they need that to set fruit???

Maybe I don't know as much as I thought I did. OR, it could be little bugs or bees are sneaking in their between the petals??? Strange.

Jeanette

When I pull my spent okra plants out in the late fall, they have a good root system but not an especially long tap root so I don't think you will need to worry about your buckets being real deep. I would suggest you grow them next to something you can tie the plants to (trellis or fence) to keep them from falling over.

Thanks. Will remember to tie them. I really hope I can get a decent yield from my okra plants.

I am assuming they take sun???

Jeanette

Um,
I'm gonna be planting okra SEEDS when I get home, in 5-gallon eBuckets. I'm thinking I'll probably just sink a piece of rebar down the center of the bucket to anchor the plant. If it says, "feed me, Baby!" I'll know I didn't anchor it well enough!

Jnette,
They like it HOT!

We will see if they like my deck. If they don't do well then it probably isn't hot enough huh?

Jeanette

They LOVE sun!! Here's a pic of one of my "blooms".

Looks like it is going to be gorgeous. I really do want to try the okra. Have never had any. But, I hope to at least get a bloom. LOL

Jeanette

I have never seen it or eaten it but what a pretty blossom. What does it taste like?

It has a subtle taste that some people think is similar to eggplant (I think it is pretty unique though). It thickens the liquid it is cooked in and so they use it to make Gumbo (stew) in the Southern states . It's yummy when fried. And they make a tasty curry in Indian restaurants too.

Can't have gumbo without it. Okra and tomatoes is good too. Hubby loves it fried but his cholesterol doesn't allow too much of that anymore :-{

How do you guys fry it? I have heard of deep fried with batter on it. That sounds good too. Do you peel it?

Jeanette

I like it boiled and drowned in butter. It gets very slimy when boiled. I also love it fried. Not a fan of gumbo or okra and tomatoes.

Rinse it, cut it into pieces crosswise. You can soak in buttermilk then dip into a mixture of cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper. Fry until browned. You can also add a raw egg, slightly scrambled into the buttermilk.

Steph, why would you like it slimy??? The frying sounds really good.

Jeanette

I don't know. I grew up eating it this way. I think the butter covers the sin of the slime! LOL

I really got a kick out of this forum. Being from Lousiana, It never dawned on me that their were folks who had never eaten okra. It is good any way you cook it. If your going to boil it use pots that are immature. About as long as your finger or shorter. If you like peas or butter beans (you guys from the north probably call them lima beans) when the veggies are nearly done thow in a hand full of okra. It will add flavor to the beans or peas. If you don't like the okra just dip them out.

NatureLover1950, I'm a native New Orleanian. Grew up eating gumbo all my life. It's one of my specialties. I grew up eating okra, too. I love fried okra, stewed okra and rice, and okra and blackeyed peas. But U have 2 set the record straight. You CAN have gumbo without okra. In New Orleans, gumbo with okra is called okra gumbo. Gumbo without okra is usually seafood gumbo. I moved to Texas 25 years ago and encountered more bootleg pots of soup being called gumbo than you could ever imagine. I had to draw the line when I saw boiled eggs and pork chops being served up as gumbo! My friends there is gumbo, and then there is GUMBO. Stop on by my house, Cher, and I'll show ya'll the difference. Linda

Linda, do age your gumbo before you eat it. I always like it better after it is a couple of days old. Make mine "hot".

You could also fry it without any batter. After washing the okra, dry the okra on a paper towel , cut into rings and just fry it in oil. I use a non stick and don't even put too much oil in it. Sprinkle with salt and chilli powder/paprika. Yum!

Sounds kind of good. I see mine are coming up. I planted seeds. Hopefully they will have something on them before the snow flies.

Jeanette

Here's my first okra harvest, after DH fried it up! The little specks you see are cornmeal. It was pretty good!

Gymgirl,
I've eaten gumbo without okra, I was just expressing my personal preference there :-} Everyone in my family (except DH) likes okra in our gumbo. I'm from Louisiana too and we can all make a mean pot of gumbo! The only way DH will eat okra is fried but he's strictly limited on fried food these days because of his cholesterol (his bad cholesterol is O.K.--his good is too low).

Stephanie, that really looks good./ Will try it if I get any fruit. Jeanette

It was really good, Jeanette!! LOL We didn't have enough okra to really do anything else with it, so DH fried it up!

This thread brought back memory's. A group of young airmen were sitting in the shade of a cargo airplane's wing, waiting for their mission to kick off. This was in Thailand. One of the young men declared that Thailand must be the hottest, most humid country in the world. Another one replied, "Aw, I dont know about that. Have you ever been in Louisiana in the summer time?" This switched the conversation over to Louisiana and the subject of Gumbo came up. Just what is gumbo was the question and the designated expert on everything Louisiana said Gumbo was a thick soup with lumps in it. It was quite for a moment before someone asked what the lumps were. "Aw, you know, lumps, like sausage lumps, fish lumps, chicken lumps, hog lumps, beef lumps, just lumps of whatever you got handy."

That is so funny. I love that. Wonder if it would work for gravy??

Jeanette

Yep, in the military we called gravy with lumps in it SOS. They just shredded whatever kind of left over meats they had and mixed it with gravy and poured it over toast and we called it "Stuff on a Shingle"...........or some name similar to that. (please dont ask for any further explanation) :-)

My mom is an Army brat and my dad did a stint in the Army. We had SOS on a regular basis in my house growing up. However, it was just a mix of browned hamburger meat and chunks of potatoes. It was more like a runny soup than anything you had, but I fully understand the meaning of SOS!

I used to make it with just a white gravy with that bottled chipped beef in it over toast. Also added sliced hard boiled eggs if I had them. Takes me back many years.

You're right. It was "SOS".

Sorry if I missed this point about growing okra, but do you need to stake okra?

I do believe they all said you do. Jeanette

If you're growing it in a container you will need to stake, if not, you'll be fine.

I have grown okra here in NE PA for the last few years. Mine has never gotten unusually tall, I think, because we do not have the same heat and humidity as in the South. I have never had to stake them. I have not done well with them planted directly in the ground but quite well in Earth Boxes and Straw Bales. My biggest mistake with them is not picking them small enough. Sometimes they get away from me and get too large, so then they are tough. It is important to pick them young and tender to enjoy the most flavor.
I am not a great fan but my husband and son love them. I boil them in a small amount of water for a few minutes until tender, until the water has just about boiled out. Then I add butter and seasoning and they go to town! I have never fried my own but can eat them that way. If they are older and tougher so don't get tender my son still loves to open them and eat the cooked seeds.
This year I started the seeds way late so have almost no space left in the Bales or EB's. I will be trying them in a 5 gallon Grow Bag with coir.
The flowers are beautiful but keep an eye on them once they form the pods! Pick them in time! Enjoy. I'll be interested to hear how you fared with them in Minnesota, MN_brown!

This message was edited Jun 8, 2009 8:39 AM