While authors of gourmet cookbooks were making fun of okra, or ignoring it, this slippery vegetable was invading the North. Their oversight was due to a basic misunderstanding about the "roots" of okra. Northern authors associated it with Creole or Cajun cooking, which is largely restricted to southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and parts of east Texas. What they did not know was that okra came to all the southern colonies with slaves or traders who brought the seeds directly from Africa or directly from the West Indies. It, together with another African vegetable, southern peas, quickly spread across the South because these two vegetables were among the few that would produce food throughout the long, hot summers.

Only a few years ago, the typical okra cultivars were spiny and grew extremely tall in the South, sometimes to 12 feet or more. Garden columns were replete with gardeners standing atop ladders to harvest okra. Spineless varieties were developed first, then the process of dwarfing began. Now, breeders are concentrating on F₁ hybrids that are not only early bearing, spineless and dwarf, but also have multiple stems or short internodes between leaves. Okra pods are borne in the axils of leaves, so the more leaf joints, the more potential for increased production.

Perhaps the greatest force in making okra a national vegetable was the migration, during and after WWII, of many Southerners, blacks and whites, to northern states, and the reverse migration to Sunbelt states, now underway. Frozen food producers followed these changing demographic patterns and food tastes with packaged okra, and it began appearing in supermarkets all over the USA.

It is difficult to grow okra in fine, sandy soil because of its need for steady, adequate, but not excessive supply of soil moisture and plant nutrients. Okra is only mildly tolerant of acid or alkaline soils and does best at _pH levels of 6.0 to 6.9. Okra will not fruit well if excessive nitrogen is present in the soil. If your soil drains slowly, ridge it up for okra rows.

Okra is tap-rooted and likes a deep seedbed. Only moderate amounts of organic matter should be incorporated in order to avoid excessive release of nitrogen when warm soil accelerates its breakdown. Ridged rows or raised beds keep heavier soils drier and warmer but should not be used for lightweight soils which would dry out excessively. Well-drained soil is less likely to foster soil-borne diseases which occasionally attack okra.

Okra seeds are customarily soaked ovenight in tepid water (often in a thermos to keep the water warm), dried and planted promptly. With this treatment, germination should be faster than the laboratory range: 59F. 27 days, 68F. 17 days, 77F. 12 days, 86F. 7 days, 95F 6. days, 104F 6 days. Planting at the upper temperatures should be avoided, if possible, because hot, drying winds can kill seedlings soon after emergence.

Delay seed planting for two or three weeks after frost danger is passed. Dry seeds and sew in single rows, placing seeds 12 inches apart. Or, plant two seeds per hill, with 24 inches between hills. Cover seeds ½ to ¾ inches deep. In heavy clay soils, cover seeds with sand to avoid crusting after rains. Thin okra to stand 24" apart in fertile soil and 36" apart in poor or dry soil.

Summer weeds can be a problem until okra outgrows them. Scrap off weeds with a hoe. Nothing is gained by hilling up soil around okra plants. Okra is deep rooted and, once well established, will thrive if it receives a good rain or irrigation every two or three weeks.

Once the pods begin to set, snip off the young ones every 2 to 3 days. If a few escape and become woody, clip and discard them. Some cultivars, especially during cool spells, will produce pods that are tender to a length of 4 to 6 inches but most are harvested at 3 to 4 inches.

Okra has few problems except for its habit of growing to a size partly determined by the warmth of the climate and length of the season. It looks like we are in for a long warm summer, be prepared.