Vegetables for Your Survival Garden O-P

OKRA (Hibiscus esculentus)

DAYS TO MATURITY: 48-90.

PLANTING TIME: Plant the seeds outside when the soil temperature has reached 75 degrees F. You can also sow seeds indoors or in a hotbed about a month before the last frost. Soak the seeds in water 24 hours before planting.

SOIL: Rich, loamy; pH 6.0-8.0.

NUTRIENTS: Fertilize twice during the growing season with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer.

WATER: Keep moist but don't overwater.

LIGHT: Full sun.

SPACING: Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep, 18 inches apart.

HARVEST: The pods produce rapidly and should be picked daily, beginning a few days after the flower petals have fallen, whether or not the pods are to be used. If the pods ripen, the plant stops producing.

STORAGE: Use fresh or as pickles.

Okra Growing Tip

Cut, Don't Pull

Instead of straining to pluck okra pods, cut them off with scissors. Do this when they are young and tender, with half-grown immature seeds. If left on the plant, the pods become hard and unpalatable.

OKRA

Annie Oakley II: 48 days. Very successful in northern gardens. Expect high yields. GUR HEN PAR

Baby Bubba Hybrid: 53 days. Dwarf plants are ideal for small gardens and tubs. 3-4" green pods. Cold tolerant. BURP SHU

Cajun Delight: 55 days. 1997 AAS winner. Semi-dwarf, spineless plant. Dark-green pods should be harvested at 3-4" long. HEN NIC PAR SHU TER VER

Cow Horn: 60 days. 10-12" long ribbed pods is native to the south. Twisted like a cow's horn full of old-fashioned okra flavor. Plants grow to 6-7' tall. PAR

Lee: 50 days. A space saving compact plant with top-quality spineless, 6-7" long pods. 3' plant has open habit for easy picking. PAR

Little Lucy: 60 days. Plants with maroon-varigated foliage; 3" yellow-purple flowers and 4" burgundy pods. Great for small gardens, especially containers. NIC PAR

North & South Hybrid: 48-50 days. Smooth, fat, dark green pods remain tender. Very tolerant of cool weather. BURP

Perkin's Mammoth Long Pod: 55 days. 5' plant. 5-6" pods are straight, slightly grooved and intensely green. Excellent for canning. SHU

Red: 55-65 days. Produces large plants with red-tinged stems, leaves, and pods. Use okra fresh picked fom the garden in long cooked soups to thicken the broth. Also good fried. ABU

Silver Queen: 80 days. 5-7" long pods on well-branched 6' plants. PAR

ONION (Allium cepa)

DAYS TO MATURITY: 95-150 days.

PLANTING TIME: Plant sets, seeds, or plants outside four to six weeks before the last frost.

SOIL: Firm, sandy to loam, fertile; add generous amounts of organic matter, rock potash, and bonemeal before planting; pH 5.5-7.0.

NUTRIENTS: Fertilize twice. Use fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer.

WATER: Water steadily, never letting the soil dry out.

LIGHT: Full sun.

SPACING: It is best to plant seedlings or sets. Set 2 inches deep, 2-4 inches apart. If you sow seeds, plant them 1/2 inch deep and 2 inches apart.

HARVEST: Bunching onions should be harvested as needed. Storage onions are ready when the tops bend over. Discontinue watering for at least a week before harvesting. Lift onions with a spading fork, and allow the bulbs to dry on the ground.

STORAGE: Bulbs onions can be stored on trays of wire netting, tied with string and braided or placed on wooden shelves. Store them in a dry, frost-proof area where air circulates freely.

Onion Growing Tips

When Onions Flower

Onions planted from sets sometims form flowers and fail to produce mature bulbs. Avoid this by selecting and planting smaller size onion sets. When flowers appear, break off the flower buds and use these poorer onions first.

Drying Onions

To dry onions, hang them from string. Knot a loop of string around a bottom shoot and twist the string around upper shoots. Hang onions outside in dry, warm weather.

ONIONS (Slicing, bulbing)

Candy: 85 days.   AAS winner. Flat globes 3-4" with tight, light yellow skin. Day-neutral. Well adapted from northern Texas to the North. BURP GUR HAR NIC PAR TER TOT VER

Cipollini: 110 days. Flattened shape, yellow onion that lends itself to braiding. Semi-sweet bulbs are great roasted or carmelized. ABU

Copra: 104-115 days. Long-day variety. Round, dark-yellow-skinned onion with ivory flesh. Thin necks dry quickly. High in sugar and moderately pungent. TER VER

Cortland: 110 days. Uniform, globe-shaped yellow onion has thick, terra cotta-colored skins and slender necks. Long-day variety. ABU

Crystal White Wax: 185 days. Short day variety. Bermuda onion that can be used as bunching, pearl or full-sized onion. Slightly flattened globes with waxy skin. Sweet and mild. HEN

Exhibition: 105 days. Hefty Spanish type onion, straw-golden scales, mild and extra sweet. BURP

Giant Red Hamburger: 95 days. Deep red skin and snow white flesh. 4" across. Short day variety. GUR HEN

Lilia: 130 days. Italian variety. Bright red, glossy and flavorful, mid-size bulbs. PAR

Mars: 100 days. Large globes with burgundy/crimson skin and inner rings. Extra firm bulbs store 4-6 months. TER TOT

Mercury: 108 days. Large globe with crimson skin and inner rings and pearly white flesh. Extra firm bulbs store 4 months. Long-day varieity. TER

Mustang: 108 days. Large, yellow skinned globes with superior storage. ABU

Nobility: 107 days. Long-day, yellow onion stores for up to six months. Globe shaped. NIC VER

Red Bull: 110 days. Globe-shaped, with a dark red color. Can keep 8-10 months. TER

Red Burgermaster: 112 days. Long-day type. Large-sized bulbs with purple-red skin and white flesh. Good keeper. SHU

Red Candy Apple: 95 days. Deep red as an apple. Mild flavor. Red-ringed interior. Flattened, globe bulbs grow to 4" across. GUR HEN TER

Red Defender: 125 days. Large bulbs are very dark red exterior and interior. When properly cured will store well for winter use. HAR

Red Delicious: 105 days. Great choice for northern gardener. Sweet red onion. BURP

Red Greek Salad: 105 days. Dark red, round bulbs have good interior color and spicy flavor. Long-day type, but bulbs nicely in southern California. NIC

Redwing: 110 days.   Thick, firm 2 3/4"-3 1/2" maroon globes contain alternating rings of red and white. Long-day variety. ABU PAR TER

Red Zeppelin: 110 days. Deep red globes store for 8 months. TER VER

Ringmaster: 105 days. Firm, white bulbs have a mild flesh and dark green tops. Large, globe-shaped bulbs have thick, crisp rings. Stores 4-5 months. TER

Salad Red: 85 days. 2" elongated bulbs. Can harvest early like scallions. BURP

Savannah Sweet: 160 days. Large globes are extra sweet. Short day. Good keeper. Yellow scales. GUR

Southern Belle Red: 110 days. Blushing deep red throughout. Ruby red bulbs store up to 2 months. TER

Super Star: 100 days. 2001 AAS winner. Day-neutral onion. Large, round white bulbs with sweet, mild flavor. HAR NIC PAR

Sweet & Early: 90 days. Widely adapted. 3 1/2" x 4 1/2", 1 lb. plus bulbs. Sweet, mild, white flesh. BURP

Sweet Mesquite: 120 days. Long day type. Globe shape, adaptable variety. Yellow scales, white flesh. GUR

Talon: 110 days. Large, firm bulbs with white flesh, deep tan skins and exceptional storage quality. 3-4" tall globes. TER

Texas Supersweet:    Jumbo yellow-skin globes have sweet, piquant white flesh. Can be grown to softball size. BURP

Texas Supersweet 1015Y: 175 days. Sweet, mild, globe-shaped grano type onion can weigh up to 1 lb. TER

Tri-Colored Onion Blend: 85 days. 3 varieties chosen for their flavor, color and maturity. Includes Candy, Greek Salad and Super Star. NIC

White Sweet Spanish: A white version of Yellow Sweet Spanish. Tops for northern states. Very little sharpness. Long-day type. VER

Yellow Granex Hybrid PRR.     Light yellow, thick and flat. Mild sweet flavor. HEN PAR VER

Yellow Sweet Spanish: 110 days. Long day type. golden globes weigh up to 1 pound. GUR

ONIONS (Shallots)

Ambition: 100 days. Uniform 2" red-brown bulbs. Round shape and firm consistency. Long-day and semi-long-day climates. PAR TER VER

Bonilla: 120 days. Seed shallot with yellow flesh. 1 1/2-2" globe-shaped is similar to the Dutch types. Bright terra-cotta-colored skin. Stores up to 60 days. TER

Camelot: 120 days. Elongated red globe-shaped bulbs are 1-1/2" across and 2" long. TER

Dutch Yellow: 90 days. Mild, onion-like flavor. 1 1/2-2" in diameter. Yellow to cream flesh and pungent flavor.  BURP TER

French Gray:    French chiefs prefer this variety. Tends to dry out faster in storage than other shallots. ABU TER

French Shallots: Grown in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington State. When mature in mid to late summer, each bulb will have divided to produce a cluster of bulbs. TER

Holland Red:   95 days. Mild flavor, easy to peel. Coppery-red skin and interior rings of purplish-red.  BURP PAR SHU TOT

Sante: French shallots. Extra large bulbs are round with brown skin and pinkish-white flesh. TER

Shallots: Small to medium-sized bulbs consists of sections and cloves and have the mild flavor of onion. Dry and store like garlic. GUR HEN

PARSNIPS (Pastinaca sativa)

DAYS TO MATURITY: 94-145 DAYS.

PLANTING TIME: Sow seeds as soon as the ground cn be worked in early spring. In areas where winter temperatures rarely fall below 25 degrees F, sow seeds in early fall for harvesting the following spring.

SOIL: Parsnips need rich, recently manured soil. Cultivate the bed to a depth of at least 18 inches and remove all rocks.

NUTRIENTS: Fertilize once a month during the growing season. Use fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer.

WATER: Some watering is necessary, especially in the early stages while the roots are small.

LIGHT: Full sun to partial shade.

SPACING: Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep. Thin seedlings to 6 inches apart.

HARVEST: Parsnips' flavor is enhanced if the roots are left in the ground all winter.

STORAGE: Pull them as needed, and keep the rest stored in the ground.

Parsnip Growing Tips

Top Flavor

For the best flavor, lift a few roots in early fall and leave them on the surface of the soil through several hard frosts. This brings them to top flavor long before the roots in the ground reach the same stage. Others can be stored in peat or sand.

Germinating Parsnip Seed

Enticing parsnips to peek through the soil can be tricky. The seed won't stay moist and is slow to germinate. Try sowing 8-12 (or more) seeds per foot, 1/2 inch deep, and laying down a clear plastic covering. Remove this plastic when the seeds germinate. Later, thin the plants so they are 3-4 inches apart.

PEAS (Pisum sativum)

DAYS TO MATURITY: 57-100.

PLANTING TIME: Start your peas in the spring as soon as the soil can be worked, and continue to sow every 10 days until 60 days remain before the average daytime temperatures are expected to be about 75 degrees F. In milder regions, start successive planting in the fall.

SOIL: Rich and recently manured; pH 6.0-7.5.

NUTRIENTS: Peas supply their own nitrogen. Fertilize them with fish emulsion only while the plants are developing. Too much nitrogen encourages bushy growth and little yield.

WATER: Peas need plenty of water.

LIGHT: Full sun.

SPACING: Sow these seeds 2 inches deep, 2 inches apart.

HARVEST: Edible podded peas should be picked when the pods are still flat and the peas barely there. Pick regular peas while they are firm but still succulent. Hold the vine in one hand while picking peas with the other to prevent pulling the vine from the ground.

STORAGE: Some varieties of peas are eaten fresh, some dried, others frozen.

Pea Growing Tips

Pollinating Peas

When peas yield a profusion of blossoms but no pods, the pollen isn't being transferred from the male parts to the female parts of the flower. Peas are self-pollinating, but once in a while they need a little help. Shake them a couple of times a day for about a week. Then get ready for a bumper crop.

Presprouting Peas

To ensure that peas will come up fast, sprout the seeds ahead of time. Spread a paper towel on a waterproof surface, scatter the pea seeds evenly over it, and cover this with another paper towel. Dampen your pea sandwich, roll it up, and put it in a plastic bag in a warm room. A few days later, unroll the towels, and remove the germinated seeds. Plant them outdoors. They'll even grow in cold soil.

Pea Sticks

You can use what the English call "pea sticks" to support your growing peas. These are long branch cuttings from deciduous shrubs and trees that gardeners simply push into the ground. An alternative method is to construct a short bamboo fence with pea-stick supports. As the peas spread, both the fence and the pea sticks disappear.

PEAS (Snapping, shelling peas)

Blauschokker: 88 days. Purple-podded shelling pea. 3 1/2" pods have 8-10 greenpeas per pod. 3 1/2-4' plants. ABU

Blondie: 65 days. Cream-colored peas grow through yellow leaves on vigorous vines. 3 1/2" long pods contain 8-9 peas per pod. PAR

Burpeeana Early: 63 days. 3" pods filled with 8-10 medium to large peas. 24" plant. BURP

Early Frosty: 64 days. Improved Little Marvel-type. 8 plump peas in tightly packed 3 1/2" pods. 28" plant. Wrinkled. SHU

Extra Early Alaska: 55 days. Short, light green pods, 2 1/2" long, tightly packed with 6-8 small, round, green peas. 30" vines. Smooth, will not wrinkle in salads. SHU

Frosty: 64 days. 2 1/2' plant. 6-8 peas per pod. Freezes well. HAR

Icebreaker: 57 days. Semi-leafless pea. 16-18" vines. Peas are very sweet. VER

Knight: 62 days. 20" plant. No trellising required. HAR

Lincoln (Homesteader): 66 days. Produces peas well into the hot weather. 3' long vines, 3" pods with 9 small peas per pod. Exceptional freezing qualities. HAR SHU VER

Melqua Lace: 120 days. Semi-leafless . 22-30" tall plant. 3 1/2" pods contain 7-8 green peas per pod. Massive amounts of tendrils can be clipped and thrown into stir fries. ABU

Miragreen: 68 days. Dark green 4-5" pods have 8-10 rich, sweet peas per pod. 4' vines. Stays sweet and tender well past maturity. HEN

Monico: 57 days. Vigorous, compact 20-24" plants. Don't require frencing. 8 peas per pod. VER

Mr. Big: 60 days. 2000 AAS winner. English pea , 4 1/2" long pods. 4' plant. Stake to support. BURP PAR SHU

Northfield: 68 days. 4" long pods with 6-10 peas per pod. Semi-leafless. Perfect for canning, freezing, cooking and fresh eating. HEN

Progress #9: 60 days. Pods grow to 5" long and filled with 7-9 peas. 20" tall plant. VER

RSVPea: 56 days. 40" tall. Each pod loaded with 7-8 peas. Adapted for cooler climates of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. BURP

Sabre: 66 days. 20-24" plants. 3 1/2" pods, each loaded with 10-12 super-sweet peas. HEN

Spring: 57 days. 6-7 plump pea per pod. 20" tall compact plant. BURP

Strike: 57 days. 22" vines don't need staking. Perfect peas for eating fresh, or freezing. HEN

Tall Telephone (Alderman): 68 days. 5' vines. An extra-easy shelling pea. VER

Wando: 68 days. Bred for both heat and cold tolerance. Dark green pods filled with 7-8 peas. 30" tall plant. PLA

PEAS (Snow, Sugar peas)

Chinese Snow: 105 days. 5' vines. Flat, sweet pods are used in stir fry or Asian noodle salad. The leafy tendrils can be added to soups, or steamed. ABU

Dual: 66 days. Pea that sets 10-14 peas in the pod. Bright green, long pods. Excellent in soups, stir-frys, casseroles and omelettes. SHU VER

Dwarf Gray Sugar: 66 days. Thin, flattened 3" long pods. Bushy plants don't need staking. Good fresh, sauteed or frozen. HEN

Dwarf White Sugar: 50 days. 30" vines. Tender, flat pods are 2-2 1/2" long and stringless. PAR

Eclipse: 67 days. 20-30% more sugar. Excellent for freezing as the dark green color holds well. VER

Goliath: 60 days. All American Selection Winner 2003. Edible podded peas remain stringless and tender. Pods can be 4 1/2 by 1 1/4" and produced on vines that grow up to 5' long. SHU VER

Icebreaker: 57 days. Pods have 7-8 medium size peas in each. 16" tall plant. Widely adapted, tolerated cold and stressful growing. SHU

Snowbird: 58 days. Prolific dwarf plants yield 3" pods in clusters of 2-3. 16-18" plants. BURP

Snow Flake: 60 days. Extra large snow peas are 4" x 1" that stay flat and straight. 2-3' vines needs staking. Pick when peas are beginning to swell in the pods. PLA

Sugar Bon: 56 days. 18-24" plant. Bush-type snap pea, with round fleshy pods for eating whole, raw or cooked. BURP

Super Snappy: 65 days. 28-32" plant. Edible 5-6" long pea pods, with 8-10 peas per pod. BURP

PEAS (Cowpea, Crowder)

Big Boy: 75 days. Green hull with very large, light green peas, with small brown eyes. Heavy yielding. Use fresh, canned or frozen. SHU

Zipper Cream: 75 days. Green pods contain creamy white peas. SHU

Black Eye: 85 days. Pods are 6-7" long, well-filled with large, smooth-skinned seeds. Sweet, pea-like taste and buttery texture. VER

Black Crowder: 63 days. Shelled green peas have a deep purple cast, turning black when dry. SHU

Brown Crowder: 60 days. 7-8" pods are filled with smooth, tan peas that shell out easily. Use fresh or dried. Mild, meaty taste. HEN

California Black Eye: 65 days. Use green in the summer, dried in the winter. Needs warm days and nights to develop. 6-7" pods, straight and well-filled. SHU

California Blackeye #5: 65 days. Rich, slightly sweet flavor and meaty texture. Dwarf plants. 7-8" pods. HEN

Colossus Crowder: 60 days. Extra-large, brown-colored seeds in straw-colored 7-9" pods. SHU