Friday, September 18, 2020

Fenton Friday: The Okra Gospel


There is an African proverb that says, "The okra plant doesn't grow taller than its planter." Well, it proved true this year at least, as I got a late start and didn't plant the 'Candle Fire' Okra seeds until mid-June. So, the plants are full and doing well now, producing a handful of okra pods every few days, which is just enough for me for snacking on. They are only about 4 feet tall and are gorgeous -- with big red palmate leaves and white-pink-red hibiscus flowers.

I feel like I am the okra proselytizer. Everywhere I talk about edible gardening, I have to share how easy it is to grow, how you can eat it raw, what a gorgeous plant it is, and no, it is not slimy at all - you just have to get it fresh from your own garden and prepare it correctly.

BTW, here is my Okra growing basics video: 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2013/07/video-wednesday-okra-growing-basics.html

And here is a cool craft you can make from dried okra pods: 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2017/12/diy-okra-santa-ornament.html

Yes, I see the eyes glaze over, but I persist. I feel like just one more convert, it is worth it. It is not like I have stock on okra seeds, I just need to spread the okra joy!

Is there an unpopular edible that you just have to convince others to grow?

 About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

2 comments:

  1. I am pretty new to gardening. I have started 2 okra plants from seeds. Unfortunately, in my zone (10b) we are experiencing an invasion of iguanas. They seem to love the leaves of my okra plants. So, at the beginning they weren't thriving at all. Finally someone told me about putting compact discs out in my garden especially around the plants that the iguanas love. I happy to see that it actually works! Now, i have thriving okra plants. I can't wait harvest from it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great to hear the CDs worked! You could also try hanging those metallic ribbons that they sell for spooking deer and rabbits off fruit trees.

      Delete

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