Days to Maturity: 50 days
Plant Spacing: 1 - 3 plants per square foot
Sunlight Requirement: 8 - 14 Hours
Look Out For: mites, aphids
Harvest Notes: Pick okra very regularly when thumb sized
Annual

Okra is an indispensable ingredient in many soups, gumbos, and stew recipes. The immature pods contribute unique flavor and consistency to ethnic dishes like Cajun gumbo. Okra is a tender annual that grows best in hot weather and can even thrive in our hot, humid and rainy summers. The pods should be picked when tender and immature, however this unique variety has extra long pods, usually about 7-9 inches long. Keep pods removed to encourage flowering. Plants can reach 5-6 feet high and do not need trellising. A member of the hibiscus family, Okra has similar pest issues (a favorite plant of the mealy bug) and a beautiful edible flower. Candelabra Okra is a really unique heirloom whose bull horn shaped pods are actually more tender than smaller more traditional varieties, a new favorite of ours after enthusiastically growing it this past summer.