Being a summer crop, Can my okra stand this colder weather? - Ask Extension
My Okra is at least 8 ft tall. It's still producing pods. I'm a first time gardener. Being a summer crop, Can my okra stand this colder weather? Is th...
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Being a summer crop, Can my okra stand this colder weather? #725722
Asked September 21, 2020, 11:34 AM EDT
My Okra is at least 8 ft tall. It's still producing pods. I'm a first time gardener. Being a summer crop, Can my okra stand this colder weather? Is there anything I should be doing to ensure I get all that I should get out of my plants? Also, what pest could be causing the holes in some of the leaves?
Wake County North Carolina
Expert Response
Congratulations on your first garden!
Your okra will continue to grow (taller and taller) and produce edible pods so long as you keep harvesting them. If you stop harvesting, the remaining pods will work at making viable seed to sow for your next year's okra crop. I let my pods dry on the vine and then, on a warmish winter day, I'll cut off the well-dried pods and store them in a paper bag, in a dark, cool spot, digging the seeds out of the pods a couple of days before I sow next year's crop.
Okra grows best in hot weather and these cold nights are not to its liking. How long it will live, however, is predicated on how warm it is in the particular spot you are growing them. Mine still look pretty good, but I stopped harvesting and will let the remaining pods grow and get woody so I have seed to sow next year.
The holes are caused by a chewing insect, like a grasshopper, but it is impossible to know which one. There are so many chewing insects to choose from.
Again, congrats on your first garden and best wishes for next year's crop,
Your okra will continue to grow (taller and taller) and produce edible pods so long as you keep harvesting them. If you stop harvesting, the remaining pods will work at making viable seed to sow for your next year's okra crop. I let my pods dry on the vine and then, on a warmish winter day, I'll cut off the well-dried pods and store them in a paper bag, in a dark, cool spot, digging the seeds out of the pods a couple of days before I sow next year's crop.
Okra grows best in hot weather and these cold nights are not to its liking. How long it will live, however, is predicated on how warm it is in the particular spot you are growing them. Mine still look pretty good, but I stopped harvesting and will let the remaining pods grow and get woody so I have seed to sow next year.
The holes are caused by a chewing insect, like a grasshopper, but it is impossible to know which one. There are so many chewing insects to choose from.
Again, congrats on your first garden and best wishes for next year's crop,
