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So much for the okra
By adamg on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 8:52am
In Hyde Park, Mike Ball reports the storm "almost surely means we won't get another meal out of our four okra plants this year."
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Comments
(okra?
Is it difficult to grow? How does it yield? I want some!)
Pretty easy
My half-brother in New Hampshire gave me some plants. He grew it up there, kept seeds and started me. I just let a couple of pods get huge and then dry before extracting next season's starters.
It turns out that it grows fine up here. It is a popular African plant because it is heat and drought tolerant, but you don't need to torture it to grow it. It's also not like hot peppers in needing a long growing season.
I cook gumbo, make okra based stews, and braise or fry it. We had many okra meals this year. I had hoped for just one more...ha!
Start it indoors (I use Gro-Lites for my from-seed plants)maybe two months before the last spring frost.
Our plants were over four feet tall and prolific.
There are special "shorter season" varieties
That have been developed for northern climes, so make certain you get one of them.
Also, staring them indoors to get a jump on the season is a good idea.
I wish I had enough sun for them, because I love love love Okra.
Dry fried with Indian spices is my current favorite, but Turkish stewed, cajun stewed, breaded and fried are good too.
One thing to know
Something nobody's mentioned yet is that when you're harvesting okra, wear gloves (and maybe long sleeves) and use a knife. There are hairs on the stems and rest of the plant that can irritate your skin.
I like okra
This is sad. Hopefully next year's plants will make up for your loss.
My tomatoes, jalapenos, mint, blueberries, oregano, basil and parsley seem to still be ok.
I did not know it could be
I did not know it could be grown this far north. Does anyone else grow it up here? It needs a long and hot growing season.
Okra grows here
Yes, okra can be grown in MA. I've seen it at many different stalls at the local farmers' markets.
Go to the Clark-Cooper community gardens
You'll see acres of the stuff! (That's a slight exaggeration, but you will find many dozens of plots filled with okra, mustard greens and other more typically southern crops).