Lady's Finger/Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus/Hibiscus esculentus)

English/Malay

Fun fact: Many people don't like to eat lady's finger due to the slime but the slime of lady's finger (a.k.a mucilage) binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins from the liver, and carries them out of the body (Gamede et al., 2014).

One of my favourite food is steamed/boiled okra with sambal belacan (a mixture of chili and shrimp paste) 😋. So when I saw an advertisement for green and red okras' seeds from Mango Garden, I jumped at the opportunity to grow okra myself.

When the seeds arrived, I was impressed with the packaging; it's beautiful yet environmental-friendly. I was also given two plant labels which was very thoughtful of the seller, so thumbs up 👍 Mango Garden. An instruction was printed at the back on how to plant the seeds.

1. Lady's finger's seeds packaging with plant labels.
2. Front cover with the picture of red and green okras.
3. Instruction at the back of the seed's packaging  

Before we go into detail about growing okra, let's get to know more about this plant. Lady's finger is a perennial plant i.e it continues to grow after harvest. In Malaysia, lady's finger can grow as long as 180 days, or about six months. Since you can start harvesting about 50-55 days, that means you'll have an estimated more than 100 days to harvest lady's fingers, subject to plant care.

Lady's finger in general is green although there is a red color one. Red lady's finger tastes and looks the same as green lady's finger once it is cooked.

What are the Health Benefits of Eating Lady's Finger?

There are many benefits of eating lady's finger especially for people with diabetes which you can read in detail here. To sum it up;

1. Rich in fiber (good for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease), folate (good for pregnancy and breastfeeding) and vitamin K (good for bones), as well as iron, niacin, phosphorus, and copper.
2. Anti-stress effect as well as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.
3. Help to lower bad cholesterol.
4. Improve recovery time from fatigue

Caution:

• In  study by Khatun et al., 2011, lady's finger was shown to block the absorption of Metformin; a drug that is used to help manage blood sugar levels. Please consult your doctor if are using metformin and wants to eat lady's finger.

How to Germinate Lady's Finger's Seeds?

Haha...to be honest, I just followed the packaging. However, it is recommended to soak the seeds overnight before plant them. There are two opinions how deep the seeds should be planted; based on the packaging, is on the surface or, seeds are to be planted at 1-2 cm depths. I have tried both methods, they both worked and since I didn't calculate the rate of emergence, I cannot say for certain which approach is the best.

Germination normally occurs between six days and three weeks although for me, it occurred a couple of days faster than that which could be attributed to seed's quality (👍) as well as Malaysia's warm and humid climate. The minimum temperature for Lady's Finger's seeds to germinate is 21℃.

The germination of Lady's Finger's seeds.

How to Grow Lady's Finger?

Soil. The best soil is a fertile, well-drained soil although lady's finger can tolerate soils with heavy clay.

Spacing. Lady's finger is a tall plant (yup...in comparison with my other plants, my lady's finger currently is the tallest that I had to re-pot it). Due to that, the recommended spacing between two lady's finger plants is from 1 to 4 feet apart (depending how much space you have); this is to enable each lady's finger to grow properly.

Container. Lady's finger can be grown in a container at least with 25 cm diameter (e.g. BABA BI-RD-260 flower pot (〜RM 15); I love Baba's pots ❤ and have been using it for two years and counting).

Location. Lady's finger is one of the most heat- and drought-tolerant plants in the world although frost can cause damage to the pods. So good news for us tropical-dwellers 😆. I placed mine on a spot that has the most sun exposure which otherwise, will be empty except for grass.

Water management. The seedlings of lady's finger require ample watering whereas keep the plants well-watered throughout the stages.

Fertilizer management. Balanced fertilizers, either in liquid form or NPK fertilizers (10:10:10); once a month while the plant is growing and twice a month during pod development/harvesting. You could also used aged manure, or rich compost if you preferred.

Weed management. Weeds removal are important when the plants are young, or you can use mulch to prevent weeds from growing.

Growing tips. Many varieties of lady's finger are covered with tiny spines, which feels like touching a cactus when you touch it with bare hands. Hence it is recommended to wear gloves to avoid skin irritation, especially when one of those tiny spines lodged inside your skin and you can't get it out because you cannot see it. You can also opt to grow lady's finger that is a spineless variety (wonder where to find in Malaysia).

When can I Harvest Lady's Finger?

Lady's finger typically can be harvested about 2 months after planting, when the pod is about 5-8 cm long; lady's finger is one plant that has to be harvested before the pods mature. Harvest the pod by cutting its stem with a knife or gardening scissors; if the stem is too hard to be cut, that means the pod is most probably too old.

Storage. Put the pods into freezer bags without cutting nor cooking and keep them in the freezer.

How can I make my Lady's Finger to be Productive?

1. Pruning I. Pruning lady's finger during early stage to promote branching and thus leaf development. In study by Adeniyi and Ayandiji (2011), plant with high number of leaves during the early growth stages produced the highest yield. However, DO NOT prune when the pod started to develop.
2. Pruning II. Pruning can be resumed once the first group of pods have developed; one grower noticed that when he removed the dying leaves once pods have developed, new pods developed from where the old leaves were removed.
3. Continuous harvesting. Harvesting lady's finger continuously (every other day) can keep the plants productive.

Disclaimer: This is based on my reading. I haven't tried any of the methods...my plant is about to flower, so a bit too late. If I do my experiment based on the tips above, I'll update them in my Facebook page (Laman Lily). You can like and follow it here. 

How to Get Lady's Finger's Seeds?

First, lady's finger is pollinated by insects; if you grow two or more varieties, it is better to isolate your tree or you might get hybrid seeds with uncertain outcomes. Seeds can be obtained by allowing the pods to dry on the vine and begin to split. Remove the pods, placed a bowl under the pods and split them; the seeds will come out easily and fall into the bowl. Since the pods already dried, the seeds will come out relatively clean. Dry the seeds in the open air for a few days before storing them in an airtight jar in a refrigerator.

Reference

1. Okra.
2. Okra.
3. Bendi.
4. How to Grow Okra.
5. Growing Okra.
6. How to Prune Okra Plants for Bush Type Production.
7. How to Grow Okra.
8. How to Grow Okra in a Pot.
9. Is Okra Good for Diabetes?.
10. Benefits and Uses of Okra.
11. Collecting Okra Seeds – How To Save Okra Seeds For Planting Later.