Okra as a Cover Crop: Deep Taproot, Livestock Forage & Compaction Relief

0:04 Hey guys, Jaqen and Noah here. Today we're gonna look at a plant that is best known not for its use as a cover crop but for...

0:11 Being a southern comfort food.

0:13 An interesting fact about cover crop seed is that a lot of these plants are best known not for their work in the soil but.

0:20 For their use as food and a primary example of this is okra. So like most other broad leaves, okra is a warm season plant that grows really well in the

0:28 South it has a deep taproot which helps break compaction and allows it to survive in heat and drought. Now it is adapted to soils that are heavy clay and.

0:37 Places the receive intermittent moisture. Okras in the cotton family, so it means 8 to 10 hours of full sunlight a day in order to grow these.

0:44 Pods warm weather helps these pods grow quickly going from nothing to full size in two to three days. Now livestock love to graze okra because these pods are.

0:53 High in vitamins A, C, and K and other minerals and vitamins that help strengthen the immune system and bones. Okra does have a woody stem so you don't.

1:11 Snow catch to capture moisture during the winter months. If planted in May, this crop will grow throughout the year and survive until November when the first.

1:19 Freeze hits so a full rate of okra is seven pounds but in a diverse mix you would only add about a pound and a quarter. The cost is a dollar and five cents for.

1:28 73,000 scenes so okra is a really cheap option for adding diversity to your mix.

1:33 If you want to learn more about okra, visit our website at green cover sitcom.

1:38 Or call our office at 402-469-6784. And don't get all of your advice from Oprah, just plant okra.