Okra
Okra is a fast-growing vegetable that's easy to find through the hot months — Insaf offers 5 varieties.
Okra is a good source of fiber and vitamin C. It's most tender and flavorful when picked young.
Okra stays reliably available in the market even during the hot season, when many other vegetables become scarce.
Growing it in Bangladesh
- Sowing time
- The four hybrid varieties — Nancy, Madhumoti Super, ISL-07, Mayabi — are sown in two windows, September–January and May–July, while the open-pollinated Noyontara can be sown from September through July.
- Weather & soil
- Okra loves full sun and cannot tolerate waterlogging, so well-drained land is essential. Rainy-season humidity can raise disease pressure.
- Care
- Remove affected plants promptly if yellow-vein mosaic — spread by whitefly — shows up
- Pick pods while still young; left too long, they turn tough and fibrous
- Never let water stand at the base of the plant
- Keeping the plot weed-free helps keep pest pressure down