Okra

[GoDawgs]

I used to grow Cajun Delight, a very productive yet compact plant but I can't find it anymore. So for the last five years or so I've been growing Jing Orange and whatever other okra I'm trying that year. The Jing is pretty productive too and a gorgeous plant to boot.

Last summer I tried Stewart Zeebest but must have gotten mixed seed because the two plants were vastly different. I didn't care for either one.

This year I'm growing the Jing Orange and trying Choppee.

[Gardeneer]

I have grown few varieties over the years. I have not noticed much differnce in flavor or other features.

The key is picking them early. If you are just one day late, they get woody. I rather pick them one day early, cause i like,m tender.
Better yet, go around and chech the bushes twice daily.

[Rajun Gardener]

I might do a trial this year on okra from a seed swap last year to see if I'm missing something compared to my old favorite FC Cowhorn.

Does anyone have experience with these varieties?

Bowling Red

Long green pod

Indian 9 Ridge, no info on google

Baby Bubba, Every site selling has the same pics, what's up with that?

Valona, no info?

Eagle Pass Okra, these seem to short for me to grow.

Stelley okra

Red velvet okra

Silver Queen, Seems like a white productive okra and I may have to try these.

I also have some more common types, Philippine Lady Fingers, Emerald, Clemson Spineless, Orange Jing and Zeabest.

[GoDawgs]

I did a few Bowling Red two years ago to compare with the Jing Orange. My impression was that it was slower to put out than Jing and not as prolific but that may be just in my garden. Can't comment on the flavor as they all taste the same to me.

I will say that the Jing's long pods do stay tender up to about the 6" length. I originally chose it for that reason and also the thought that with it's Southeast Asian heritage it wouldn't mind the summer heat and humidity here. It does well.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

I might do a trial this year on okra from a seed swap last year to see if I'm missing something compared to my old favorite FC Cowhorn.

Does anyone have experience with these varieties?

Bowling Red

Long green pod

Indian 9 Ridge, no info on google

Baby Bubba, Every site selling has the same pics, what's up with that?

Valona, no info?

Eagle Pass Okra, these seem to short for me to grow.

Stelley okra

Red velvet okra

Silver Queen, Seems like a white productive okra and I may have to try these.

I also have some more common types, Philippine Lady Fingers, Emerald, Clemson Spineless, Orange Jing and Zeabest.

Rajun, I don't know what that okra seed you sent me last year was but it was the best I have ever grown despite being very late starting to put out pods. You said you got it from someone who experimenting in crossing cowhorn with some other variety and it produced a very bushy many stemmed plant.

My plant were 5 feet tall before they started producing the first pods but they were also around 5 feet thick with many producing stems. When they did start making, WOW! did they make. The pods were smaller than a typical cowhorn but still quite long and still tender when between 6 and 8 inches long.

I had no idea the plant would get as bushy and thick as they did and I think that is one reason they were so late starting to produce because they were too crowded. I finally thinned they out til they were between 5 and 6 feet apart and they actually would have been okay being even further apart than that. Two plant produced plenty of okra for our family once it started and I ended up with nine plant in a 45 foot raised bed. This year if my seed saving worked I will plant them at least 6 to 7 feet apart and will only plant 4 or 5.

Thank you so much for the seed.

Bill

[Rajun Gardener]

I'm glad they worked for you. I wasn't happy with the production and how later they start producing. My trees are still in the garden, I hope they come out easy because some of them are 4" across. Good luck with them this year!!!

[DonDuck]

Rajun, do you think you sent him seed for Cowhorn or some other variety? I actually have two beds I decided to plant with okra. The ten foot long bed will either be the Choppee or the Cowhorn depending on which seeds you are sending me. I've also decided to plant a fifty foot bed with both for comparison between the two varieties and to isolate the two varieties from the ten foot bed to protect the short bed from cross pollination. The two beds are about 150' feet apart. The long bed is currently an asparagus bed, but the asparagus are planted about ten feet apart leaving plenty of room to grow some large okra between the asparagus plants. The long bed gets full sun all day long so it should work well for the okra.

[Rajun Gardener]

Don I sent him some Bush Cowhorn okra, I'll throw some of those in too and you can try them all. Make sure you plant those at least 3" apart.
I posted about it here http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=46200

[Worth1]

Okra definitely needs lots of sun.

[DonDuck]

One of the reasons I never grew okra was because my mother grew it when I was a kid back in the 1940's. My problem with okra was the fact that my mothers okra was stingy. She would harvest it and save it until she had enough for a meal. My thought on okra was I didn't want to grow something that required so much labor for so little return. With the newer varieties, it would seem a grower should be more concerned about storage space than growing space.

[DonDuck]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Don, I have a great nephew who could eat fried okra all day long. In keeping him supplied, I have been growing Clemson Spineless. Put it in the ground about 1/2" deep while things are still cooler. Plan for them to be mature during early summer weather. Clip or cut the pods off when they are no more than 4 inches long. Now, you can decide whether or not to cut into one inch lengths for fried okra or whatever you want.

We also use the pods that get too large and somewhat tough. I put them in a processor or coffee grinder and make a fine dust. We put this into stews, biscuits, and a myriad of other things to either gently flavor or thicken the finished product. It even goes into the Thanksgiving stuffing.

There are no special growing recommendations. After planting, I just keep it watered. Be sure to harvest every two or three days. Cutting off the pods seems to make the plant put on more blooms and po ds.

I plan on growing the highly productive varieties this year so my expectations are for more okra than we can eat or give away or store. I want to try converting some dried pods into powder and using it for thickening and flavoring dishes year round. I have a mental image of adding the powder to any recipe requiring some thickener instead of wheat flour or corn flour. I think the added okra flavor would also be nice. I see the powder as having a mild flavor similar to gumbo file powder (sassafras) except the okra powder can be cooked in the dish where file powder is normally added to the dish after it is prepared. The taste of file powder has a tendency to disappear when cooked.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Okra definitely needs lots of sun.

and hot temperatures too. That is why its a southern thing..
I will be growing Clemson and another variety. The plants don,t get very big in my garden , maybe 3 to 4 ft max.

BTW, stink bugs love okra too.

[GoDawgs]

Has anyone ever heard of "whipping" okra? An old timer around here once said that when his father's okra plants were producing slowly, "Daddy would get a stick and whip those okra plants good. Then they'd get busy makin'."

It makes sense in that many times when a plant is under stress, it will get into gear to finish it's task of replicating itself by making seed. I've never tried whipping slow okra plants.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Has anyone ever heard of "whipping" okra? An old timer around here once said that when his father's okra plants were producing slowly, "Daddy would get a stick and whip those okra plants good. Then they'd get busy makin'."

It makes sense in that many times when a plant is under stress, it will get into gear to finish it's task of replicating itself by making seed. I've never tried whipping slow okra plants.

Never have.
At first I thought it was okra you use to whip the kids with.

[Worth1]

Pickled okra please.