A couple nights ago I soaked some seeds for 4 types of okra - 3 greens, and Little Lucy red. The greens are the Emerald, which I've been growing for years since those and the Little Lucy grow at least 6",, before getting fibrous. The Clemson Spineless 80 is supposed to be able to grow larger than the regular CS. The Nirmal is another one that is supposed to grow fairly large, before getting fibrous. I'm only planting 3 of each of these new ones, and 6 of the first two. All these I soaked in GA-3 (250 ppm), which I discovered a few years ago speeded up the sprouting of okra, more so than just water or an H202 solution.

Here are those Little Lucy seeds I soaked a couple of nights ago, and most are already sprouting - other varieties are also mostly sprouted. I just soaked the jiffy pellets, to put the seeds in. Little Lucy seeds, soaked overnight in GA-3, and in petri dish a little over 24 hours. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

They look awful...toss them away! All you will get is okra!

Seems early? What is your next step on the seeds. I don't think ground temps are anywhere near ready for okra, here.

My okra is all in jiffy pellets - 25 popped up, with true leaves just showing, and only one hadn't come up, and I used all that had sprouted of the Clemson Spineless. So I was just starting to soak a few today, and when I went to look around midnight, at the tray under the lights, one was just popping up! It figures...

Next weekend it will be time for peppers to go in, and okra will be ready - they don't have to grow as long after popping up, before planting. Soil in the EBs is already close to 70°, which okra will love! Even higher, later in the week, with all this sun, and getting close to 80°.

My okra is up. I direct seed it where the onions just vacated. Baker Creek Package says 7-14 days to germinate, try 4. Planted on a Wednesday afternoon, almost all up by Sunday evening, the rest by Monday evening.

I’ve got 4 varieties going. Self Saved seed Texas Hill country red, self saved seed jing orange, Okinawan Pink from Baker Creek, and Alabama Red from Baker Creek. Easiest seed saving vegetable on the planet as far as getting viable seed. Don’t know how readily okra crosses, I guess I’ll find out.

We love okra around our house. Quite ornamental, especially these red and pink types. Okra blooms every day and once it starts it doesn’t stop until it gets cold. Tolerates some shade too. Thrives in relentless tropical humid heat.

Okra is Delicious halved, lightly brushed with oil, seasoned and roasted until a little brown and crisp in a hot oven. Like fried okra, but without hunks of batter or a huge amount of oil, no offense to the delicious fried okra. Oven baked Okra fries, crispy on the outside, a little creamy inside, no slime, just great. Plus, pickled okra is delicious if someone like pickles. I like to put in a cayenne or tabasco pepper as spicy pickled okra is better than no spice. Okra is a natural culinary partner with tomatoes. Think of creole gumbo.

In my experience, the heirloom types are more vigorous and resist nematodes better than Clemson Spineless. I’d probably just grow Hill country red just for those fat pods, but I like a variety for the looks.

Okra is a must grow for me in the summer. I may yet plant some more, just need some vacant garden real estate. It’ll keep going all summer and produce into November most years here.

Okra is great victuals. I’m a proud okra lover. Happy to see others proudly and openly express their love for this amazing hot weather vegetable.

I like okra stewed until just tender whole pod.
Nothing but salt and pepper for added ingredients.
That's how I was raised to eat it.

This year I'm growing three Jing Orange in a bed with a Cajun Jewel on each side. The seeds were all collected and have been in the freezer since then. Just to be on the safe side I soaked three seeds for each plant for two days after which they all looked like Pepperhead's. And like Karst's, they all popped up yesterday, four days after planting. The Jing Orange seed is from 2018 and the Cajun is from 2020.

Thanks for the okra recipes, K!

Fresh okra at the store looks battered and bruised by rough handling and generally unappealing. The only kind I see at our markets looks like Clemson spineless or something similar, green standard pods. Home grown okra just looks so much better and then there’s all the fat podded types and red, orange and pinks.

Something about okra I that always tells me about a knew variety - when I slice through the pods, I can tell immediately if they are fibrous. Most, if let grow past 4", some even smaller, are fibrous. The Little Lucy and Emerald can grow to 6", without getting fibrous; though I always try to pick @4" or so, it's easy to mis them, and most varieties I'd just toss in the compost, they'd get so fibrous when overgrown. But, I'd grow them just once, and try new ones next year, along with the two favs.

Also, some seem more attractive to black aphids, growing right next to other varieties. Anyone else find this problem?

This year I am attempting Cajun Jewel and Aunt Hettie's Red. I have them in peat pellets and one of the Cajun Jewel has popped up... If nothing else I will have a few pretty plants In case anyone is wondering I plant out warm season Jun 1 and cold season crops are getting put in right now.

wykvlvr wrote: ↑Tue May 10, 2022 1:50 pm This year I am attempting Cajun Jewel and Aunt Hettie's Red. I have them in peat pellets and one of the Cajun Jewel has popped up... If nothing else I will have a few pretty plants In case anyone is wondering I plant out warm season Jun 1 and cold season crops are getting put in right now.

I tried a few Cajun Jewel as sets a month ago and, as with most all okra I've tried this with, they got leggy and were tossed out. The lights were right close to them so it wasn't a matter of stretching for light. The only time I've ever had success with okra sets was a long time ago with Cajun Delight. Can't find it anymore.

Has anyone tried Star of David?

No, but I like those thick pods.

karstopography wrote: ↑Wed May 11, 2022 6:12 am No, but I like those thick pods.

I grew it and several others one year.
It had a distinct taste unlike the others.
Can't really describe it.
Musky maybe.
I didn't get enough of any or the various okra to do anything with.
Deer and I was working two weeks out of every month our of town and my wife was going through chemo.

Okra isn’t a crop you can walk away from. Those pods grow very fast and need daily picking.I try to grow at least 12 okra plants to have enough to do anything with. I’ve been spacing them in the raised bed a little over a foot apart, roughly 15” centers. Seems to work.

The Texas Hill country Red really does well split long ways in to two halves and roasted in the oven. The thinner types tend to want to dry up to nothing if I don’t watch them close.

I’m going to plant another bunch probably once the zucchini and yellow squash are done, which should not be too long. I might order some Star of David type or just go with what I have. I saved a ton of jing orange and hill country Red seeds. Clemson spineless seems to be the most popular, but I’ve had better luck with some of the others. Louisiana green velvet, Hill country red. Alabama red looks a lot like Hill country red, I wonder if there will be a noticeable difference?

I’d like to have enough to pickle. I like okra pickles way more than cucumber pickles for straight up snacking.

What other ways can okra be preserved? How well does it freeze?

@karstopography about 4 years ago DH wanted to see what okra tasted like and he really liked it so I have been growing it ever since. I only need about 4 plants and I grow the Little Lucy that @pepperhead212 mentioned. I tried Jing Orange and Clemson Spineless but like the Little Lucy best. I like that the plants stay small and the pods do not get fibrous.

I make stewed tomatoes with okra slices added as a natural thickener and I freeze those in pint jars.

Secondly, yes, it does freeze well. I dip okra slices in egg/milk and then shake them in a bag of 50/50 flour & cornmeal to coat them. After drying, I freeze them on a plate to keep them separate and then package in a Zip Loc bag. I fry them in the winter.

20190820_162118 by Brownrexx, on Flickr


20190804_171714 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

I've eaten frozen okra that just set in the freezer no bag months later.
No noticeable difference.
Stewd of course.

I freeze okra every season - I just blanch it a couple of minutes, by steaming, rinse it in cold water, then freeze it, some in pint containers, some in 12 oz containers. Then in the off-season, use it in curries, or other stew type dishes, as well as stir fries. I still have a couple of pints of pickles, too.

@brownrexx , I do that with okra too. Coat it, freeze it on a sheet pan and bag it. I also freeze some uncoated too.

Anybody grill okra? Line up whole pods next to each other and run a skewer through tops and bottoms. Rub a little olive oil on them and apply a bbq rub to both sides. Then grill. Good stuff!

@GoDawgs Yes, I grill it the same way that you do.