Yes, an okra thread! Thanks for this information. I was thinking about growing it indoors, but with our hot summers, I'll just wait!

Again thanks!

Valencia

I'm glad to see a thread on okra! I have grown Clemson Spineless, Cajun Delight and Emerald with very good success. For those that say Clemson Spineless gets woody too quick, you do need to pick it early and often. I don't let my pods get over four inches in length.

I'll be trying a different variety this year - Millionaire. I'm interested in seeing how it performs!

I grew Crimsom spineless last year, it grew pretty good, it should do better this year because we amended the soil since then. I LOVE okra, I need to plant more this year, I ate as it grew and didn't have any to freeze. I think I'm going to try some of the Emerald this year too....can't have too much :)

Have had excellent results with Emerald velvet. For years I have very good results by throwing the seed in the freezer over night (or more) and then planting . Best I had was one year I had the seed up in five or six days.

I returned to say thanks again for the information about the different varieties of okra. I went looking for different varieties of okra and found Emerald and North and South Hybrid. I chose Emerald because the picture on the packet reminded me of the okra of my childhood!

Now I need to find a place to grow such a tall plant!

Hey there fusion power! I'm glad to see another gardener from zone 7b on the board.

Valencia

Someone told me to put a few seed in my mouth and spit them in the direction that I wanted them to grow and I'd have plenty...I did and yes I had plenty...Clemson Spinless is my favorite.

Okra needs several weeks of intense heat. We did not get this last year and our yield was poor. The year before that was great, enough for 3 or 4 gigantic pots of gumbo, and lots of okra and tomato dishes, breaded and fried, yum, okra! (another okra lover here).

On that (good) year we grew Clemson spineless and Cajun delight pretty much side by side. It was very interesting to compare them. Cajun delight is a dwarf, less than half the size of the Clemsons, but I would say about 75% of the productivity of the Clemson. It would be a good choice for growing in pots. One day we harvested a few pods from each variety, kept them separate, and sauteed them in olive oil with a little salt and pepper, just to compare the taste. Clemson spineless tasted a little better to us, but Cajun delight was also good. Good enough to grow again. Regarding the spines, or woodiness, they were pretty equivalent, both good. If a pod escapes my attention I just leave it on the p.l.a.n.t to dry for seed and pick the pods small to medium, no more than 4 inches.

Something else important I noticed. I hope you guys don't have this p.e.s.t, green stink bugs. They were all over the Clemsons, they did not bother the hybrid. Interesting? they were on the SAME bed, side by side. Later on a praying mantid came by and helped us out (picking those green bugs gets tiring).

Last year we did not get continuous heat and the hybrid was the only one that produced a little (I only had a few seeds left, main problem with the hybrid).

This year I will try the emerald velvet since I have read in this forum that it is good. I am hoping for enough heat. No point planting it before June either, it just sits there and looks unhappy. Okra does not like our June gloom.

How often do you have to pick okra? I generally only get to my garden once a week.

Hey obrionusa..Okra grows really fast, I found I had to harvest every day but I eat it as fast as it will grow. I don't let the pods get any bigger than 2"-3" inches and some smaller.

Every other day picking is about as long as I can get away with. Thought I would throw in a few pics.
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Nice pics, farmerdilla.

I didn't know that Cajun Delight was a hybrid! Now I will pick up a pack and see for myself.

Thanks for the information.

Valencia

Thanks Farmerdilla, I cant harvest it every other day, I only get to my garden once to twice a week. I work out of town doing commercial Landscape work.

Cool - an okra thread. I'm a law student, growing a container garden behind my duplex apartment this year. I love okra, so I'm going to try Pitre's Short Bush Red Cowhorn. I got the seeds from Baker Creek Seed Co., and the description said the plants reach only 3 ft. tall. Hopefully, they'll do OK in 5 gallon buckets.

It's going to be 21 degrees and snowy this weekend around here (yuck) so I'll be waiting a while to plant my okra!

I like okra but last year was the first time I ever grew it myself. I only planted 5 okra plants last year and so I found I had trouble getting enough at once, but if turned my back for a day, boom, too big. Once I got over thinking I had to put it straight into the pan after picking, I "collected" it and refrigerated it--usually only 2-3 days--but that was enough to accumulate enough to saute with tomatoes, etc.

So the good thing about more plants is that you could always pick enough at once for a meal, and the bad thing is--a lot of okra!

One thing my husband noted was how much better it tasted than frozen or canned--I know it seems obvious, but it made enough difference so that he went from okra-tolerant to, this okra is great!

Hi All, I am interested in growing okra. Does anyone have seeds to trade for Shark Fin Melon Patch (cucurbita ficifolia) seeds. Please email me. Thank you

Henry Lee.. hwlee888@gmail.com

Nice pics FarmerD.
I have never had any problems with growing Okra here in New England, Matter of fact I often surprise people when they ask about it, they say they though it would'nt grow this far north. I only grow Clemson Spineless here and have had no problems with it, I did try some hybrids that were shorter in growth and quicker to yield but was very disapointed with them so I went back to Clemson (besides being the only one here that grows it I can save the seed year to year) I agree that it has to be harvested every other day otherwise you may get alot of woody pods (but hey they look good dried and put into floral arangements) I will post pics as they come in.

Happy Gardening
Mark

This forum would not be the same without a strong okra thread. We sorely miss Bill (gonefishin) who would be in the thick of this discussion if he were still here. What a wonderful guy and what a wonderful vegetable.

Jim

During peak prodictivity I find myself harvesting okra twice a day, once in the morning and once when I get home from work. My plants usually average 125 plus pods per season although I have never let them grow until frost.
They grow fast and love the heat.

In 2007 I only grew 5 plants, here they are pictured with some beans.
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Here they are a couple months later, I was using a step ladder to harvest.

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You Texans would scoff at the measly size of the okra plants we grow in the north. No need for ladders to harvest okra here!

Still, it grows well enough and we enjoy it. It's one of my favorite vegetables.

Jim

Saw a few posts stating you can't pick often, and a few stating you want to grow them in containers. Funny I have not snapped any pictures of the dwarf varieties in their containers but this year I will. They are beautiful plants, very ornamental.... Here's a few shots of the okra itself from my little 575 SQ garden.

Tom

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Baby Bubba

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BB on the left, Clemson on the right for comparison

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Little Lucy, looks like a red Emerald, Cowhorn underneath

Jim, What veriety do you grow the last few years my Clemson Spinless got to be at least 5' if not better. Duajones, what was the veriety of those mammoths you have? Very nice looking tree's....lol

Happy Gardening
Mark

Clemson Spineless was the variety I grew in 2007.
I grew Louisianna Green Velvet and Emerald in 2008. Started the Emerald late but they still got to around 7 foot. The LGV grew to over 10 ft

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I grew up in the south and really miss fried okra. I tried growing Burgundy last year, and got good germination, but they didn't survive after being planted out. Someone sent me seeds for Louisiana Green Velvet, and I would love to try again, but I am wondering if anyone knows if it is even possible to grow okra here. We have plenty of heat in the summer, with highs in the 90's for a good bit of the summer, and some days over 100. The problem is that our nighttime lows are usually in the 50's, maybe in the 60's some by August, but often in the 40's in May and early June. So should I just give up on the idea of growing okra, or is there a way to make it work here? What if I picked a variety that could be conainer grown, and bring it in the garage when the nighttime lows drop below a certain temperature?

Thanks for your advice and suggestions,
Bonnie

Mark,

I have grown Cowhorn, Emerald and another whose name I can't recall right now. Emerald did best. Friends at the community garden grew Cajun Delight Hybrid and, I think, Clemson Spineless successfully. No trees here like duajones grows in Texas though.

Cowhorn didn't seem suitable to my climate. I also had trouble a couple of times which was not climate related such as lack of seed viability.

This year I will try Burmese Okra from Baker Creek Seeds because of this description:

"Large pods are tender, spineless, and finely flavored. The plants start yielding early and production lasts until frost."

Jim

Jim,
Good info. I did get another veriety in from stokes (name eludes me right now) and it is a hybrid, i will try a few of them but I will stick with Clemson being my main as I save the seed from year to year (only been growing okra for 5 years) and they seem to do better from year to year. I harvest enough to give away and freeze and eat fresh. So I have been haveing great luck with it.

Mark

This will be my first year for okra. How long are the seeds viable?

Brook

Okra seeds are viable for only one year. :-(

Jim

Hi Bonnie, I grew up in Louisiana and really miss fresh okra. Living in Colorado is a challenge. I tried Cajun Delite last year with no success. We had a very short growing season last year with very little heat. Since it seems like this summer is getting off to a good start, i thought I would try again. I almost bought Clemson but decided to get the North and South, they are better for our climate. After reading this forum, Im so glad I didn't get the clemson.

There is a lady at one of the farmers markets that always has okra, so I know that it can be grown here in Colorado.

This year it's mostly Emerald for me. Hopefully it'll produce just as good as the Clemson has the past 3 or so years. This is the first year I put the okra plants in full AZ sun. I know they like it hot but not sure about that much heat. We'll see.

I also started some 4 year old Dwarf Green Pod okra seeds from American Seed. All of these seeds sprouted before the newer Emerald seeds. Gotta love the cheap seeds.

I'm growing Cajun Delight seedlings. They are quite leggy. Can I plant these deep like tomatoes or should I start over?

Thanks!

brookw & jimster

FWIW, my notes indicate that okra seeds are viable for two years, maybe even longer since these charts are usually on the conservative side [note tomatoes]. Not a lot of difference, but the good news means that if you save the seeds, a crop failure the following year doesn't require you to order brand new seeds for the ensuing year -- you can successfully germinate the year-old seeds.

Please do post pictures of your dwarf container okra! I never considered growing okra, but maybe one of these days... as long as it doesn't get too huge & out of control. Sounds like we have the perfect summers for okra with the heat & humidity in the south.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/yeager58.html

good info on Okra growing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Okra Growing

Hi Bonnie- Yes, you can grow okra in Colorado. The reason I'm such an okra fanatic is that my parents started me on it in Longmont, Colorado as a young kid. They grew it in their garden each summer because my dad was from Denison, TX and missed his southern foods.
I'd like to know, taste-wise, what the difference is between the Emerald, LA velvet and clemson spineless, plus any other good tasting varieties. My husband dislikes (hates) or at least thinks he hates okra. OK, so there have been about 20 things he's "hated" since we got married that I've reintroduced him to with fresh, home-cooked and he found that he actually loved. I'm hoping to do the same this summer with okra. I've slipped frozen, storebought okra into gumbos, which he didn't even notice (what are those star-shaped vegetables?) but I found them absolutely tasteless.
Now I live in what should be Okra heaven. The hot, dry desert, plus I have plentiful irrigation so can provide all water needs. From what I hear, okra loves it here in Mesa, AZ. The hotter the better everyone says.

Please, give me some more taste information like Cabrita has done. Which okra is good for a newbie "non-okra" lover. Need a tender, tasty, variety that I can prepare in low-fat, healthy ways. (okra with tomatoes, okra hot stir-fried with fresh ground cornmeal, etc. )
Is there a preferred variety for pickling? I plan to pickle at least a dozen quarts if possible. I've also had some wonderful dehydrated okra from Whole Foods, sort of like an okra chip, and plan to try to replicate these as well.

Holy cr@p duajones. Those aren't plants they're okra trees. I'm up here in N. Central Texas trying to grow my first okra plant. I noticed what the flowers look like for the first time yesterday and they're beautiful. I've only got one okra on my plant so far. I am wondering what I'll do with one. My plant is only 10" tall and not growing too quickly. I'm waiting and waiting.

I'm late planting the okra and it's my first year. How many okra plants are normal for a family of 3? I placed 3 clemson spineless in the ground day before yesterday. I finally got my Baker Creek order and want to plant some of the Louisiana velvet too.
How far apart is good?
I have sweet potatoes growing in the same bed, along with basil. How far from the sweet potatoes and basil does it need to be? First time growing sweet potatoes too.
The back of the 3 foot wide bed has a trellis for yardlongs which are just getting going finally.
I really need more garden space. Like an acre, plus an orchard. I can't wait to move. Anybody have some land for sale in OK or TX?

I have an okra question, guess I can just put it here rather than starting a new thread?

I have a row of emerald okra planted between 2 rows of tom's. I think I didn't allow enough space, (it looked like it would be enough when I put them there).

How easy and safe/effective is it to dig up these plants (okra) and move them? They are only about 3 or 4 inches tall now.

I have kept okra seeds for more than five years and had great germination results when the seeds were planted. Keep them in the refrigerator. They will keep indefinitely. I suppose that is true of different varieties. I only use one variety and I couldn't begin to tell you what that variety is. It has been handed down in my family for many generations. The pods can get 10-12" long and still be very tender and tasty with adequate watering.

I planted some okra seed last year that I had set in a closet and had forgotten about, it must have been at least 5-7 yrs. old. I wasn't sure it would sprout so soaked a hand full in a wet paper towel about half made sprouts. So I sowed the seed in a row and covered them up. I had okra sprouting all summer long. So who knows ?

Farmerdill,

Your pictures of the red okra are pretty, and it looks like it makes a lot of pods. To me the red okras doesn't produce enough, I give garden produce to several friends who for one reason or an other are not able to get out and work a garden and I need something that is prolific. It is hard to beat Emerald. I like Louisiana Velvet Pod and Emerald, either one and have planted both together. Clemson Spineless is good but I find that it get's tough and woody before it reaches a good size, so I don't plant it anymore. I used to grow Cow Horn years ago and liked it very well.

Most of the red okra that I have tried were quite stringy in production. Candle Fire matched or exceeded all the green or white varieties that I have grown. Developed by the Chinese Company Known - You.

Always have grown Clemson -- love it, but miss a day of picking and from 4" it's grown to 7" next day ... so, pod stays for seeds. We pickle all okra -- stays as crisp as when freshly picked.

Next year adding a red variety -- easier to spot when picking.

Carmine Splendor
(F1) Okra Seed

Tony

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Here is a post from Aug 18th:

"Pickled so far: 3 gal cukes, 2 gal small green tomatoes, 3 quarts
okra. The okra is just starting to produce (have 15 plants) --- so,
expect to pickle about 40 more quarts of okra. At end of season for
tomatoes, expect to pickle about 3 more gallons of small green
tomatoes."

I like pickled okra and I used pickled green tomatoes.

Dry okra seed can be roasted and make a coffee substitute if times get hard.

Jumping in to respond to some old queries about okra varieties. For the past 2 years I've planted 2 varieties: Burmese and Harlow (both from Baker Creek). I like Burmese as it's slender and slow to get woody, and I like Harlow because it's short, meaty, and has superior taste - but it DOES get woody over 2 inches. Here in OH I start them inside in late May and transplant to gain an extra 2 weeks of growing, and have good germination by soaking the seeds overnight. Mostly, I like growing okra here because 90% of the visitors to our community garden have NO IDEA what it is!

Stacy,

I like your story. I sent my daughter, who lives in California, some Burgundy okra seed that she planted by her walk way to her front porch and people kept asking what kind of Holly Hock it was.

;-) Not surprising, given that okra & holly hock are related.

I learned to love okra when I lived in SoCal (San Diego), and took it for granted that it was an easy crop to grow. Not as easy, though, here in my much cooler climate. Most of the varieties I tried would begin to brown & die just about the time they began bearing. Have had good luck, though, with Pentagreen. The plants don't get overly large, but they do seem to be more tolerant of cooler weather. I've been saving seed for 4-5 generations; and while wilt always gets a few plants, the majority bear nearly until frost.

Did you know okra is also in the same family as Theobroma cacao? Supposedly, you can make a drink from okra seeds.

I've grown okra twice in southwestern Idaho. Out of the following varieties, Edna Slaton's Candelabra is my favorite, so far:

• Edna Slaton's Candelabra (it gets really long, and is tender for a good long time; it tastes like carrots; pale color; direct-seeded in 2016; started in my unheated greenhouse in 2017 with seeds I saved from the year before)
• Egyptian (this is my greenest okra, and my second favorite of these; I like the flavor, which is somewhat like a pepper; gets tough faster than some, but I still like it a lot; direct-seeded in 2016; started in my unheated greenhouse in 2017 with seeds I saved from the year before)
• Bowling Red (it's the least slimy of these that I tasted, and the reddest of these—well, Burgundy is probably as red; I like Bowling Red a lot; started in my unheated greenhouse)
• Burgundy (red, thin fruits; later than Hill Country Red; direct-seeded)
• Hill Country Red (these are really big, fat and cool-looking; kind of late compared to Edna Slaton's Candelabra and Egyptian; I never tasted this one; direct-seeded in 2016; I saved seeds to plant in 2017, but I think they were damaged due to partial germination before I dried them, and they didn't sprout in the greenhouse)
• Jing Orange (small and few fruit; small plant compared to the others; started in my unheated greenhouse)
• Red Velvet (spiny and pale, but okay; just a little red; started in my unheated greenhouse)
• Jade (decent; fairly green fruit; thinner fruit than Egyptian; started in my unheated greenhouse)
• Dwarf Long Pod (crop failure; 2017; started in my unheated greenhouse)
• Star of David (crop failure; 2016; direct-seeded; no germination)
• Burmese (crop failure; 2016; direct-seeded; if one germinated, it died early on)

It sounds like it's better to direct-seed it in the south and/or other soil types, but in my garden in our clay loam soil, it seems to do a whole lot better if I start it in my unheated greenhouse and then transplant it outside in May and/or early June. Direct-seeded in my garden, it grows no larger than a couple inches tall after the first couple months (if it even sprouts), and maybe gets 1 to 3 fruit per plant. Transplanted, it does much better (with decent germination rates), is much more prolific, and the earliest varieties are among my earliest fruiting crops (about as early as the Metki Dark Green Serpent melon, which is possibly earlier than the zucchini we grow).

Okra is one of the fastest things to sprout if I start it early in the unheated greenhouse, interestingly, despite the cool temperatures (and one of the last things to sprout if I direct-seed it later). It's still slow-growing when it starts in the greenhouse, but faster than outside, and it can get through that slow-growing phase before it's time to transplant. The plants still haven't gotten as big in our soil as in a friend's garden in the same area (my friend's were the size of corn plants, and extremely prolific, too), but it's still definitely worth growing. My friend probably grows Clemson Spineless (that's the only variety I recall ever seeing them sell in these parts). I got mine online.

Shule - what a great report! I think okra plants are like tomato plants. You can put them out early, but they'll just sit there until it gets hot. Best to hope for a July-Aug growth spurt with some hot Sseptember weather to allow you to get the full benefit of productive plants.