Best vegetable for hot weather? Okra. The whole plant is edible - leaves, fruits, etc.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers, bhindi, bamia, or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. Okra looks like a ridged pepper. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world.

Extremely heat and drought tolerant

The species is an annual or perennial, growing to 2 m tall. It is related to such species as cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. It is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world. Although a tropical plant, okra does fine in temperate zones during the summer.

Okra is one of the few vegetable plants that can stand the heat of Florida’s summers. Few people count okra among their favorite vegetables; most complain that it’s too seedy or too slimy. One Orlando gardener organizes Okrafest (instead of Octoberfest) in honor of the mucilaginous pod every fall (Okra - Orlando Home and Garden - April 2014 http://bit.ly/1CC9GTM).



Growing Okra in Raised Beds (Gumbo, Lady's Finger) - California Gardening - YouTube.

Okra's origin is in Africa

The Egyptians and Moors of the 12th and 13th centuries used the Arabic word for the plant, bamya, suggesting it had come from the east. In the Middle East (in Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, Greek and Turkish), it is called bamia or bamyeh. Its Bulgarian name is bamya.

Okra seed oil

Okra oil is pressed from okra seeds. Oil yields from okra crops are high, exceeded only by that of sunflower oil.

Culinary uses

The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" or slime when the seed pods are cooked.

Growing okra

Soak seeds to fasten germination

In cultivation, the seeds are soaked overnight prior to planting to a depth of 1–2 cm. Germination occurs between 6 days (soaked seeds) and 3 weeks. Seedlings require ample water. The seed pods rapidly become fibrous and woody, and, to be edible, must be harvested within a week of the fruit having been pollinated. The fruits are harvested when immature and eaten as a vegetable.

In the height of production, gardeners should harvest the okra daily. Okra produces pounds of edible seed pods for months. If one stalk stops production, cut it back to the main stem and a new pod-producing branch may appear.

Choose your sunniest spot for okra, and wait until the weather is warm to set out your plants. Plants like it when nights are at least in the 60s and days 85 or warmer.

The whole plant is edible - leaves, flowers, fruits, etc.

The pods of the okra plant are not the only edible part. Many people do not know it, but the leaves of the plant are also edible, both cooked and raw.

Okra is packed with health benefits

Okra has a lot of antioxidants and fiber. Its mucilaginous content may slow down sugar absorption and prevent diabetes. Okra does have a reputation for slime but this slime is good for you. There are ways to cook it to avoid the slime.



Don’t Fear the Okra | Recipe | The New York Times.

Vegetables to grow in the summer heat in Florida, Texas, Nevada, etc:

- eggplant
- okra
- peppers
- chard
- parsley
- green onions

References:

Okra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://bit.ly/1qkbgke
Heavily armed drug cops raid retiree’s garden, seize okra plants - mistaken for cannabis - Washington Post http://buff.ly/1xqO0qS
Homegrown okra plants: A bit of Louisiana by way of L.A. - LA Times http://lat.ms/1qkbvvv
Hints of Help for Diabetes From Okra - WSJ http://on.wsj.com/1qkbHen
Okra’s Triumph of Taste Over Texture - NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/1qkbO9P
Growing Okra - Bonnie Plants http://bit.ly/1pntZeC
Florida Crop/Pest Management Profile: Okra http://bit.ly/1pnuchR
National Site for the Regional IPM Centers http://bit.ly/1pnuhC5

What vegetables to grow in tropical heat during summer in Texas and Florida? Peppers and okra

From Executive Gardener: "In this episode I provide an update of what will grow in the heat and humidity of Houston in the middle of the summer. Very few crops can grow and prosper in this brutal heat, but some really do well. Please look into building a community garden in your area."



Growing peppers in the heat is fine and dandy, however, once the night temperatures stay above 80 F, peppers will not produce fruit. They will flower but the flowers will fall off. Peppers, like tomatoes, need night temperatures around 70 F for optimal fruit production.

Jeff Bernhard from the Executive Gardener channel thinks he has found a solution. He waters peppers with cold water in the evening and he thinks this tricks the plants to perceive the soil temperature as lower than 80-90 F and thus to keep producing fruit. Watch him explain this approach in the video below:



"If you live in Zone 8, 9 or 10, you know that it is very difficult to grow sweet and bell Peppers in the middle of the summer with temperatures around 100 degrees every day. During the nights, the temperature gets to a low of 87 degrees. In these conditions flower buds drop off the plant, leaves wilt and fruit will certainly not set if temperatures do not get below 75 degree at night. I have found a way to grow bell peppers in these conditions all summer long in these hot, hot conditions and also get tons of peppers to set."

Vegetables to grow in the summer heat in Florida, Texas, Nevada, etc:

- eggplant
- okra
- peppers
- chard
- parsley
- green onions

Also, Seascape Strawberries are heat tolerant.

Related: How to grow Hot Peppers, from PepperJoes PennysTomatoes:

Okra is a Southern favorite, a wonderful edible and ornamental plant

Growing and Harvesting Okra by Jeff Bernhard: Is there a better plant to grow in the super hot summer months in Texas than Okra? Probably not. The Okra plant loves the hot weather and rewards gardeners with bumper crops if they are cared for appropriately. In this episode we will give you tips on how to grow Okra and harvest Okra. Okra is also becoming especially popular with in the culinary arts with chefs finding new uses for this vegetable in their entrees. Give Okra a try!

"Okra is a controversial vegetable to some. It is as much a part of Southern cuisine as collard greens and fried chicken. But in the Southern kitchen, it is far more controversial. Folks love okra or they hate it. No one - veritably no one - is in the middle. Okra is the new asparagus. Okra can take the heat and is the perfect Garden Finger Food.

Okra lovers passionately love okra in all manners of all shapes and forms. Boiled, fried, steamed, grilled, broiled, pickled, whole, sliced and julienned.

Most okra doesn’t taste good when it’s long; it becomes tough and woody. In general, look for young, small pods no longer than 4 inches, depending on the variety. There is a reason okra is called ladyfingers in some countries. Seek out pods smaller than a lady’s finger!" -- Summer foods: Okra – Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs http://bit.ly/19ujmF0

Okra is a Southern favorite. The pods can be grilled, fried or eaten in gumbo.

"Fife Creek" okra is an heirloom strain that bears pods that can be 5-6 inches long and still tender. This KY heirloom was given to the Fife family by an elderly Creek woman over 100 years ago. It is available as Pkt Item # 69114 from Southern Exposure: http://www.southernexposure.com/fife-creek-cowhorn-okra-4-g-p-341.html

Okra has beautiful flowers and edible leaves. The red variety is very ornamental. Okra is related to edible hibiscus.



How to grow okra:



Related:

Okra in Raised Beds - YouTube http://bit.ly/15d0DVT
Okra Flowers in Bloom - YouTube http://bit.ly/17M78nK
Okra can take the heat and is the perfect Garden Finger Food http://buff.ly/1xk1bKp