OKRA FLOWER PATCH

Choppee okra is an heirloom type and my personal favorite, similar in size, productivity and pod shape to Clemson Spineless. An improved strain of it, Clemson Spineless 80, is the most widely sold and planted variety in the world. Clemson Spineless was released by Clemson University in 1939. Given South CaroliniansвЂ™ love of okra, itвЂ™s not surprising that one of the mainstay varieties was developed here. CORY TANNER is an area horticulture agent for Clemson Extension based in Greenville County. With luck, youвЂ™ll get about a 30-day respite from picking before a new harvest begins and continues until frost. Then apply a nitrogen fertilizer, such as calcium nitrate or blood meal, and maintain even soil moisture to stimulate new growth. Ratoon in mid- to late summer, after the bulk of your first harvest is complete. Ratooning involves pruning the plants back to 8 to 10 inches above the soil line to encourage new growth with reinvigorated flowering and pod production. Recently, I learned a technique called ratooning that can rejuvenate okra plants for a fall harvest. IвЂ™ve yet to find a sensible explanation of why or how whipping improves production. Just wear a long-sleeved shirt and gloves when cutting okra. As for removing those prickly leaves, I understand why gardeners might get rid of those for comfort during harvest, but removing too many healthy leaves decreases productivity over time. Better yet, freezing dry seed cracks the seed coat and improves germination even more than soaking. Soaking seeds may improve germination, but water works just as well as milk. IвЂ™ve heard suggestions to soak seeds in milk before planting, to remove lower leaves while harvesting and, from more than one old-timer, to whip plants with a switch so theyвЂ™ll keep producing.

ThereвЂ™s no shortage of gardening вЂњadviceвЂќ for okra lore abounds. Additionally, over-mature pods will signal the plant to stop producing, so keep picking to continue the harvest, even if you have to recruit help from neighbors! One novice okra grower lamented, after a season of harvesting too-large pods, that consuming them was вЂњlike eating splinters.вЂќ I prefer tender pods in the 2- to 3-inch range. Where pods are concerned, bigger is definitely not better. Once harvest begins, pick your okra at least every other day (sometimes daily) to prevent overgrown pods. Harvesting okra is not unlike milking cows-itвЂ™s a commitment. Okra plants get quite large, so greater spacing allows plants to branch and become more productive. ItвЂ™s fine to sow seeds more thickly, but make sure you thin the final stand to 9 or more inches apart. Sow seeds three-quarters of an inch deep and 9 inches apart, in rows spaced 3 feet from each other. IвЂ™ve always had terrific success sowing seeds directly in warm soil. Okra handles transplanting just fine-many people buy or start their own plants to transplant to the garden. But okra can be successfully seeded as late as the end of June statewide for a delayed harvest. Midlands and coastal-plain gardeners can usually plant okra two to four weeks earlier, respectively. In my Upstate garden, I plant after May 1. Seeds planted before soil temperatures reach 65 F at the 4-inch depth will result in stunted plants and decreased yields.

Double that if you want to ensure enough fresh pods for freezing and pickling.ДonвЂ™t be in a rush to plant okra in the spring. That summer, we had enough okra to feed a small army and couldnвЂ™t keep it picked! Generally, one 25-foot row (about a quarter ounce of seed) will produce 17 to 20 pounds of okra in a season-plenty for a family of fourвЂ™s fresh eating. A friend with little gardening experience once planted a quarter pound of okra seed in three 100-foot rows.

OKRA FLOWER PATCH

African in origin, this highly productive vegetable is right at home in our heat and humidity.ДЄ little patch of okra goes a long way. ItвЂ™s hard to find a vegetable crop better suited to South CarolinaвЂ™s climate and soils than okra.

Okra flower