Tips on growing okra

(New Vision Uganda) Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is also known as lady’s fingers or gumbo and is highly valued for its edible green seed pods. 

When planting, ensure that the plants are separated from each other by about 15 inches. Okra seeds are relatively large and easy to handle. They also germinate well if the soil is warm enough. 

Plant the seeds about half an inch deep. Plant about three seeds at each spot. In most cases, all three germinate and when the plants are about six inches tall, thin them to only one plant every 18 inches. 

Okra needs warm weather to grow well. This means that during the rainy season, you may not have much of a crop. Most varieties of okra will start yielding about 60 days after planting. 

The flowers are large, pale yellow and fairly ornamental. Each flower blooms for only one day and eventually forms one okra pod. Pick the pods when they are approximately three inches in length. 

Picking the pods while wet may darken the skin though the taste is not affected. Typically it grows quickly, so you need to harvest every two days or so. The plants can eventually grow quite tall (five feet or more), but will stop growing as soon as the temperature starts dropping down below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

By Samuel Sanya