Favorite Okra

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I wonder what okra variety is best for pickling when small? Or if red okra would keep it's red color when pickled?

Red okra will lose its colour as soon as the heat hits it.
I would think any okra would do well picked when small.

One exotic okra I didnt mention is called star of david.
In cross section it looks like a six pointed star.
It is fat and short and very good.
Just Google star of david okra.

[Worth1]

http://www.localharvest.org/okra-see...organic-C15469

Also becks big buck.

[AlittleSalt]

Star of David Okra https://www.google.com/search?q=star...l%3B1100%3B736 Very interesting looking okra.

There are 11 reviews at http://www.rareseeds.com/star-of-david-okra/

I am going to grow this one.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by peppero

Bill have you ever tried topping them? I was wondering if they would put new growth .

jon

Jon I usually top my Cowhorn okra when it gets about 8 feet tall and yes it does produce plenty of multiple stems during a good long growing season.

Bill

[AlittleSalt]

Bill, so far I've found three or four different named Cowhorn Okra.

At Southern Exposure, there is Cowhorn okra.
At Baker Creek, there is Fife Creek Cowhorn okra.
At Sustainable Seed, there is Cow's Horn okra.
Oh and there's one called Giant Cowhorn okra on Amazon.

[Fusion_power]

Cowhorn okra is commonly sold on Ebay too. If you see it on ebay or elsewhere, avoid this seller. Anyone who will swipe a pic and continue to use it after being requested to remove it is a person who does not deserve your business. As fyi, here is the original photo that I took and maintain on my website.
http://www.selectedplants.com/miscan/Okra.pods.jpg

This particular obnox swiped a photo I took 10 years ago and uses it to advertise his seed. http://www.ebay.com/itm/160618343864

Now that I think about it, Remy has some of my cowhorn seed at the sample seed shop. Get it from her if you want the original.
http://www.sampleseeds.com/

[peppero]

Thanks for the reply Bill. I thought it might do as you said but, confirmation is always better.

jon

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

Cowhorn okra is commonly sold on Ebay too. If you see it on ebay or elsewhere, avoid this seller. Anyone who will swipe a pic and continue to use it after being requested to remove it is a person who does not deserve your business. As fyi, here is the original photo that I took and maintain on my website.
http://www.selectedplants.com/miscan/Okra.pods.jpg

This particular obnox swiped a photo I took 10 years ago and uses it to advertise his seed. http://www.ebay.com/itm/160618343864

Now that I think about it, Remy has some of my cowhorn seed at the sample seed shop. Get it from her if you want the original.
http://www.sampleseeds.com/

It is on Amazon too http://www.amazon.com/GIANT-COWHORN-.../dp/B005IHCHTM

[ScottinAtlanta]

OK, folks, I can grow toms, peppers, eggplants....but I can't grow okra. It starts slow, stays small, and just seems reluctant and shy. I plant seeds, not seedlings.

Can anyone give me the secret?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

OK, folks, I can grow toms, peppers, eggplants....but I can't grow okra. It starts slow, stays small, and just seems reluctant and shy. I plant seeds, not seedlings.

Can anyone give me the secret?

Scott, Okra really likes heat, did you grow in mid summer? Mine went nuts, they were in Earthboxes, so constant steady water, the fert was just what was left over after 8 months of tomato growth in the same boxes. Jimmy T variety, got a pack as a free bonus when I ordered tomato seed from Blueribbon.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

Can anyone give me the secret?

Scott, I don't know what your growing situation is (Earth boxes, raised beds, 40 acre farm...) But I can give you a before and after example:

I bought a $20 Ferry~Morse electronic soil tester. It shows PH and fertility level. The soil outside our garden gives results of 5.5 - 6.0 PH and "Too Little" Fertility.

Back in 2010, I planted okra in the un-amended soil and it barely grew 2' and looked pathetic. We started digging in oak leaves in winter of 2010 and have done that every winter since.

The years since adding oak leaves in the same soil, same location, in full sun - okra grows huge plants with more okra than we can eat. That same soil tester reads 6.5-6.8 PH and (Ideal) fertility.

This past spring, I planted 4 okra seeds in a different location in our natural soil without digging in oak leaves, and the 4 okra plants did just as poorly as the ones back in 2010.

By the results that we have seen in our garden, my advice is: Plant in full sun, in organic matter improved soil, and a little fertilizer helps (Organic or man-made). Water when needed.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Thanks, folks. I think I did plant too early, and in soil that was a little clayey. Thanks for hte practical advice.

[Worth1]

Okra likes the same PH as tomatoes, it likes lots of water, is kin to the hibiscus and is a mallow.
I have grown it in sandy loam to black gumbo soil full to partial sun with a healthy dose of 13-13-13.
They get over ten feet tall and put out tons of okra.
Lots of water and fertilizer is the trick.

Worth