Auntdot - have you tried a container or two of okra?
One year when I was laid up after leg surgery I did my garden in large pots on the deck. Grew tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, AND okra all in 5-gallon plastic containers & big (like 16"+) clay pots. The okra not only grew beautifully, but was very decorative as well. And since it's just my husband & I, the fact that I could harvest a couple of handfulls of pods at a time for one meal & at the same time clear all the plants of mature pods in order to continue producing, was also a big plus. No having to blanch & freeze extras - not that that's a problem when one is up & around on two feet - lol!!
Anyway - something to consider. While I grew the regular "Clemson Spineless" variety in my pots, there are a couple of dwarf varieties available now that are specifically meant for container culture. I don't have the names on me at the moment, but there's at least one green variety, as well as a red.
Even with a garden in the ground I still plan to have a couple of pots of okra on the deck this year.