Okra is a nutritious vegetable with mild taste. It is a popular choice for chewing gum and other delicious dishes. However, for some people, okra is not in the vegetable army, mainly because it is difficult to ignore this unique sticky texture. If you don't want to grow vegetables, you can still grow ornamental okra. Big flowers like hibiscus are not annoying at all. The following content also has certain reference value for raised garden beds.
What is ornamental okra?
Okra is a tropical plant, which has large and strong maple like leaves and tall and strong stems. From early summer to early frost, delicate and almost extraordinary flowers last only one day.
All okra plants are ornamental plants, but some varieties are more beautiful than others. For example, the leaves of varieties such as "Royal Burgundy" or "Red Velvet" are bright green, and the veins, stems and pods are dark red. Others, such as the Silver Queen, have dark green leaves in sharp contrast to lime green pods.
Planting okra as an ornamental plant
Okra is easy to grow, but remember that it is a summer vegetable that needs bright sunshine, hot days and warm nights. You can start sowing indoors four to six weeks before the last unexpected frost, or when the temperature is always above 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), you can directly sow in the garden.
Okra is easy to grow, but remember that it is a summer vegetable that needs bright sunshine, hot days and warm nights. You can start sowing indoors four to six weeks before the last unexpected frost, or when the temperature is always above 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), you can directly sow in the garden.
Be careful not to water too much. Okra is a drought resistant plant. It can use about 1/2 inch (1 cm) of water per week. Don't worry if you skip a week here or there. Use balanced garden fertilizer occasionally throughout the growing season to feed the plants.
You may need to mortgage plants. Most varieties become top heavy during growth.
Can you plant okra on the elevated garden bed? If you do not have space to place standard size plants that may reach a height of 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 meters), then dwarf varieties such as "BabyBubba" or "Little Lucy" are small enough to be placed in flower pots.
To plant okra in an elevated flower bed, start with a fairly large pot at least 10 to 12 inches (25-31 cm) in diameter. A wide bottom basin is best because plants may be heavy headed and light footed. Make sure there are drain holes in the bottom of the pot.
Fill the elevated garden bed with a conventional commercial potting mixture containing ingredients such as peat and vermiculite. Before planting, mix a small amount of any ordinary fertilizer into the potting mixture.
It's easy to care for okra on an elevated garden bed, but make sure the potting mixture is slightly dry between watering. Moist impregnated soil can lead to decay and other water related diseases.
