When I’m familiar with a certain variety of okra, I know about how long the pods can be before getting tough. I’m planning to plant a mix this upcoming season, and one of the things I’m wondering is how to know when to pick the okra in order for it to still be tender for eating, since all the varieties will differ in how long they can get. For instance, I have some louisiana 16 inch long pod okra that’s supposed to stay tender when it’s pretty long. And as my grex progresses I like that quality because then I don’t necessarily have to worry about picking every day or missing some. But I don’t necessarily want that to be the only quality I look for, or I feel like I’ll be eliminating lots of diversity. But when growing a mix or grex how would I know which pods are going to remain tender enough to eat as they get long. Do they feel different on the plant when it’s time to pick them or as they start to toughen up? I’ve just relied on length / eyeballing it for so long that I don’t know how to determine this in a mix. Thanks for any insight on any of this.
3 Likes
You will have to rely on how they feel plant by plant.
You might watch the first pods develop and see when they start to get hard. You could then tag each plant with the expected length to harvest and then go by that method for the rest of the season.
I’ve noticed a lot of my okra ripens faster or slower depending on weather and temperature.
1 Like