Okra 'Green Fingers'
Have you tried growing Okra lately? Our new ‘Green Fingers’ Okra shown here is a great plant for gumbo or pickling. The spineless pods only get 3″-4″ long and bear best in the heat of summer. The Okra ‘Red Spray’ is also 55 days and has beautiful red pods that turn a deeper shade when they are cooked. Red Spray’s pods can get as long as 5 1/2″, so if you are considering pickling both varieties for Christmas gifts you would pick them a bit young, which is ok with this variety.
Okra 'Red Spray'
Growing Okra is easy. The plants are very tolerant of clay soils and heat. If your summer growing season is short and spring is cool, start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before planting out, at temperatures of 72-75 degrees. If the summer is growing season is long and spring is warm, start seeds outdoors after all danger of frost is past and the ground is warm. While everything else in the garden is looking a bit drawn out the Okra will be happy and producing bunches of flowers and edible pods.