Successful Okra Harvesting and Beyond

 

This August, our okra has been doing really well. We planted 3 beds rather than our usual one or two, and the harvest was piling up in our walk-in cooler so much that we cut down one of the beds!

Okra does not like to be chilled! We need to deal with the American tendency to store almost everything in the fridge. Chilling injury of okra causes dark damp spots on the pods, which lead to pitting and slimy breakdown.

Okra can be stored at 45°F–50°F (14°C–15°C) in unperforated plastic bags for up to 15 days. This compares favorably with only 2 days without a bag or 7 days in a perforated bag. The plastic bags keep the humidity high.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), a tropical annual in the mallow family, is widely adapted where the frost-free season is long enough. Those in cold climates should choose fast-maturing varieties and transplant into black plastic. In areas with cold nights, okra can only be grown in a hoop-house. Those in hot climates will need to deal with the exuberant growth in midsummer. Okra is heat and drought tolerant and has few serious pests or diseases.

I have written a few posts on okra in recent years.

Okra Planting Time 5/11/22

Caring for your Okra Crop 7/13/22. Includes info on seed-saving.

Okra Varieties and Harvest in Sweet Corn, Potatoes and Okra7/17/19 – planting mistakes too!

A review of Chris Smith’s wonderful book The Whole Okra 4/16/19

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange has an Okra Growing Guide.

This post will fill some gaps.

Succession Planting and Renovating Okra Plants

Generally only one planting of okra is made each year, although it is possible to sow in spring and fall in hot climates, using a fast-maturing variety for the later sowing. Or sow only in the summer for a fall crop, and don’t fight cold spring soil temperatures.

In hot climates, okra plants benefit from being rejuvenated in the middle of the summer, by cutting them back (with a machete, or tree loppers) to 6” (15 cm) stubs after the first heavy harvest (perhaps in the fifth week of harvesting) and after market prices start to decline. For large areas, use a tractor mower.

The plants will produce again in the fall, when prices have risen again, and fall yields can be higher than spring crops. Side-dressing at this stage can also boost production. As well as revitalizing the productivity, this process keeps the plants at a manageable height.

Alternatively, to avoid losing all your crop at once, lop progressively along the row, perhaps cutting 5% of the plants each day, starting after they reach shoulder height. Other growers tell of cutting back plants to a height of 4’ (1.2 m), which causes the plant to branch more.

Okra Yield and Harvest

3-9 days after flowering, pods will be mature (it takes 40 days from flowering to mature seed).

For maximum yields it is important to harvest at least every second day. If pods are missed, they will mature and limit the future flowering and therefore the yield. Average yields are about 3–4 tons/acre (6.8–9 t/ha) on bare ground in the South. Yields on black plastic are considerably higher.

For smaller plantings, expect 50–100 lb/100′ (7.6–15 kg/10 m). We grow 90′ (27 m) for 100 people, which provides enough for some pickling too.

We harvest six days a week, using pruners, or a small serrated knife. The stems are quite tough. Some people find their skin is irritated by the spiny leaves and like to wear long sleeves when harvesting. We cut Cow Horn at 5” (13 cm) or bigger. Some years we have attached a piece of card to special pruners for the job, showing the size to cut. Do not make assumptions about toughness without testing with a thumbnail, or snapping off the tip. We’ve also been surprised to find it necessary to show new people the difference between a rounded “empty” pointed flower bud, and an angular firm pod.

Our harvest starts in mid-July and runs until frost, a period of 12 weeks or so. At the end of the season, we find we need to dig out the massive trunks and consign them to a spot on the edge of the woods that we call “The End of the World.”

Pickled Okra 

Okra is very tasty pickled, a good choice if you have high yields and a demand for off-season value-added products.

I found a recipe for shelf-stable pickled okra from Lana’s Cooking. I do think shelf-stable canned pickles, that don’t need refrigeration, are the best. Why fill your refrigerator with pickles when they can sit on a shelf, leaving refrigeration for fresh produce? I’m not paid to mention this website, and I admit I haven’t tried it myself, but this site has all the hallmarks of a good recipe: It has step-by-step instructions on stove-top waterbath canning, beautiful photos and clear explanations, with links to more online resources in case you need them.

The ingredients are fresh okra, vinegar with 5% acidity, garlic, dill seed, pure canning salt, and whole black peppercorns. There’s a printable recipe card at the end of the post, for those who enjoy a screen-free kitchen. Fill the jar tightly with okra pods standing on the blunt ends (tips up). Add a whole peeled garlic clove and the salt and spices. If you like hot spicy pickles you can add a little hot pepper. Pack more okra (tips down this time) into the jars, without crushing the pods. Fill the jars with a hot vinegar and water mix. See the recipe for all the details you’ll need. For instance: “Process for 10 minutes for altitudes up to 1,000 ft; 15 minutes for altitudes 1,001 – 6,000 ft; and 20 minutes over 6,000 feet.” Nothing is left to guesswork or chance. Best flavor is achieved 4-6 weeks after canning, and you can store the canned pickles for a year (maybe more, but you will probably have eaten them all before then, so don’t worry!)