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Started By
Message
Tough okra…..
Posted on 7/13/23 at 8:29 pm
Posted on 7/13/23 at 8:29 pm
I’ve tried different varieties, harvested when small, but I keep growing nothing but tough and fibrous okra. Any suggestions?
6
Posted on 7/13/23 at 9:52 pm to TJG210
I've never had that problem. How small are you talking. In my experience, okra goes from a bloom to un-edible in about 4 days.
Posted on 7/13/23 at 10:23 pm to TJG210
I grow okra and have about 50 plants in my garden right now. I have to pick daily.
Like already mentioned, if I have pods 2 inches long on Tuesday morning, by Wednesday afternoon they are pushing 4 inches long and if I wait until Thursday, most are inedible due to being too fibrous. They get "woody" real fast.
I grow Clemson Spineless as my go-to okra and have planted that variety every spring for damn near 30 years.
Like already mentioned, if I have pods 2 inches long on Tuesday morning, by Wednesday afternoon they are pushing 4 inches long and if I wait until Thursday, most are inedible due to being too fibrous. They get "woody" real fast.
I grow Clemson Spineless as my go-to okra and have planted that variety every spring for damn near 30 years.
Posted on 7/13/23 at 10:33 pm to gumbo2176
I’m growing the Clemson spineless as well, the ones I picked today ranged from 2-4”. All trash. Maybe I’ve been leaving them on too long.
Posted on 7/13/23 at 11:13 pm to TJG210
quote:
I’m growing the Clemson spineless as well, the ones I picked today ranged from 2-4”. All trash. Maybe I’ve been leaving them on too long.
That has me stumped that the okra only 2-4 inches long are too tough to use. Every once in a while a pod will get lost in the foliage of the plant and I'll pick it up to 6 inches long and about 50% of those are still good enough to either grill, fry or cut up and stew down to use later in gumbo or soups.
Posted on 7/13/23 at 11:19 pm to TJG210
You might want to give Cow Horn okra a try.
It's been around for many decades. My family has been growing it since at least the early 1950s, and probably much longer.
We pick okra every other day to avoid finding hard okra although we, of course, still find a few pods that are hard.
Although Cow Horn pods grow as fast as any okra, it will easily still be very tender if the pods are about 6 inches long or even longer.
I've grown Clemson Spineless a few times and like it, but otherwise I've consistently planted Cow Horn and always with excellent harvests.
It's been around for many decades. My family has been growing it since at least the early 1950s, and probably much longer.
We pick okra every other day to avoid finding hard okra although we, of course, still find a few pods that are hard.
Although Cow Horn pods grow as fast as any okra, it will easily still be very tender if the pods are about 6 inches long or even longer.
I've grown Clemson Spineless a few times and like it, but otherwise I've consistently planted Cow Horn and always with excellent harvests.
This post was edited on 7/14/23 at 12:11 am
Posted on 7/13/23 at 11:33 pm to TJG210
MY uncle was tilling an area with Black Jack dirt, I asked what would grow in it? He said only one thing. Okra, he had a good stand in that area.
FYI: Okra is in the mallow family, the same family as Hibiscus and Cotton.
FYI: Okra is in the mallow family, the same family as Hibiscus and Cotton.
Posted on 7/14/23 at 10:02 am to TJG210
If you don’t water okra enough it will get woody at a small size. Okra likes a lot of water. Try increasing that and I believe you’ll see a difference.
Posted on 7/14/23 at 10:59 am to Cypressknee
quote:
If you don’t water okra enough it will get woody at a small size. Okra likes a lot of water. Try increasing that and I believe you’ll see a difference.
Okra also likes and responds very well to a general purpose fertilizer like 13-13-13, which helps the plant quickly grow nice tender pods.
I make my garden in the ground and till the fertilizer in the natural sandy loam soil where I live prior to planting the seed.
Posted on 7/14/23 at 11:14 am to Longer Tail Tiger
Was thinking a similar thing. If the plants are struggling it may take too long for them to produce to any decent size and by then they are woody.
Posted on 7/14/23 at 4:22 pm to TJG210
I harvested close to 40 pods today and added that to what I had from the prior 2 days and decided to cut it up to smother down tomorrow to freeze for later use.
I counted 126 pods and only 2 of them were too woody to cut up and use. I wound up filling a 1 1/2 gallon container with cut up okra that I will add diced tomatoes, onions, garlic and a few other seasonings and cook it down for about 2 hours tomorrow while the brisket is on the smoker.
I counted 126 pods and only 2 of them were too woody to cut up and use. I wound up filling a 1 1/2 gallon container with cut up okra that I will add diced tomatoes, onions, garlic and a few other seasonings and cook it down for about 2 hours tomorrow while the brisket is on the smoker.
Posted on 7/14/23 at 10:34 pm to LSUDad
quote:
MY uncle was tilling an area with Black Jack dirt, I asked what would grow in it?
Serious question. What is "black jack dirt"?
I have never heard that term.
Posted on 7/15/23 at 12:05 am to tiggerfan02 2021
quote:
Serious question. What is "black jack dirt"? I have never heard that
The dirt from the pond ended up being what we call “blackjack” dirt, meaning that the soil is mostly clay which is very sticky and does not compact well at all. It turned out that the entire property was covered with blackjack.
Any of a series of hard, dark soils, often considered low quality, but suitable for growing certain crops such as cotton. (Remember I said he grew great okra, which is in the cotton family.)
The area I’m talking about of about a quarter mile from bayou Plaquemine. Soil along the Bayou is very Sandy, the best for just about everything. Root crops did very well.
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