Okra lovers, New Bush Longhorn Okra

Rajun Gardener · November 13, 2017

I just got home from visiting an old retired soybean farmer, his new hobby is breeding plants and here's the one he's selling.

I'm glad he still had plants in the ground because I would've never believed it from the pic I saw. These things are a beast of a plant and high producer. I know most okra will branch out if planted with room but this is just crazy growth. Notice how close the nodes are on the plant, every one of those has produced an okra pod.

He's selling seeds if anybody wants some. Mark Menard 337-224-3287. These should be available in a season or two from seed suppliers. He had a few orders of 30# of seed to go to a few nurseries in other states.

I don't have anything to do with him, I'm just passing it along. I first saw it on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/LAFVGA

Here's a few pics.

Salsacharley · November 13, 2017

Good grief! That's an okra forest.

Worth1 · November 13, 2017

Can't stand okra, nasty stuff.

Rajun Gardener · November 13, 2017

Good thing you don't have to stand it, it looks like it's doing fine without any help.

But I know you're playing and want some just to see if it's real. Christmas is coming!!!

ChristinaJo · November 15, 2017

You'd have to be a lumberjack to chop that down

GoDawgs · March 2, 2018

Wow! That's amazing! Looking at the first pic I'd call it "Crown of Glory".

Al@NC · March 2, 2018

Yes, that's beautiful!

Al

Zeedman · March 3, 2018

Wow!!! It probably wouldn't do well up here, most okra varieties don't... but its nice to dream.

BigVanVader · March 6, 2018

Very cool! The issue with okra here is it gets to high to pick w/o a ladder by mid Summer.

Rajun Gardener · March 6, 2018

That issue is because you plant to close together, try spacing it at least 2' apart and you'll see a big difference.

BigVanVader · March 6, 2018

Well this bush okra solves my issue plus looks more productive.

sirtanon · March 6, 2018

That's pretty insane, right there. I do enjoy me some okra.. just not sure where I'd plant it...

b54red · March 7, 2018

Longhorn okra has been my favorite for nearly 20 years and it makes a ton but by the middle of July or early August it is just too tall even when planted with a lot of space between the plants. I like it because it gets so much longer than most okras and is still young and tender. At the end of the season I have to use a shovel and dig it up it is so huge. Thanks for the heads up on this variety of Longhorn.

Bill

Al@NC · March 7, 2018

I wonder how many months above 70f you need to have it perform that well though...

Al

b54red · August 22, 2018

Rajun, thank you. I'm growing that okra now. I ran into one big problem. I planted it about 3 feet apart in my 4 ft wide beds and it grew so thick that I had to go back when it was 3 ft tall and remove every other one in order for them to have room to grow. Next year I will plant them about 5 ft apart or more. Apart from the one plant on the west end of the bed production has been poor and I think it was because they didn't have enough sunlight due to the crowding. Now the plants are really starting to spread well and I am getting more okra. I love this variety since it has such a heavy foliage with large leaves that the okra pods don't get too much sun so they stay very tender for a long time which means some big pods. No need to pick it when it is only 4 inches long. It is better to wait til it is 7 to 8 inches long and I picked one nearly a food long that was still butter tender. I much prefer this variety to the regular cowhorn okra.

Bill

March 6, 2018	#10
Rajun Gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Tomato Cornhole Posts: 2,550	That issue is because you plant to close together, try spacing it at least 2' apart and you'll see a big difference. __________________ Rob

March 6, 2018	#12
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	That's pretty insane, right there. I do enjoy me some okra.. just not sure where I'd plant it... __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

November 13, 2017	#2
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	Good grief! That's an okra forest.

November 13, 2017	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Can't stand okra, nasty stuff.

November 15, 2017	#5
ChristinaJo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NE Texas Posts: 425	You'd have to be a lumberjack to chop that down

March 2, 2018	#6
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Wow! That's amazing! Looking at the first pic I'd call it "Crown of Glory".

March 2, 2018	#7
Al@NC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Vernon, BC Posts: 720	Yes, that's beautiful! Al

March 3, 2018	#8
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	Wow!!! It probably wouldn't do well up here, most okra varieties don't... but its nice to dream.

March 6, 2018	#9
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Very cool! The issue with okra here is it gets to high to pick w/o a ladder by mid Summer.

March 7, 2018	#13
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Longhorn okra has been my favorite for nearly 20 years and it makes a ton but by the middle of July or early August it is just too tall even when planted with a lot of space between the plants. I like it because it gets so much longer than most okras and is still young and tender. At the end of the season I have to use a shovel and dig it up it is so huge. Thanks for the heads up on this variety of Longhorn. Bill

August 22, 2018	#15
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Rajun, thank you. I'm growing that okra now. I ran into one big problem. I planted it about 3 feet apart in my 4 ft wide beds and it grew so thick that I had to go back when it was 3 ft tall and remove every other one in order for them to have room to grow. Next year I will plant them about 5 ft apart or more. Apart from the one plant on the west end of the bed production has been poor and I think it was because they didn't have enough sunlight due to the crowding. Now the plants are really starting to spread well and I am getting more okra. I love this variety since it has such a heavy foliage with large leaves that the okra pods don't get too much sun so they stay very tender for a long time which means some big pods. No need to pick it when it is only 4 inches long. It is better to wait til it is 7 to 8 inches long and I picked one nearly a food long that was still butter tender. I much prefer this variety to the regular cowhorn okra. Bill