Okra growers

duajones · August 23, 2007

First time grower here as mentioned in a previous thread. Clemson spineless variety, only 5 plants, and have had very good success with it. Over 100 pods per plant at this point and the plants are in the 10-12 ft range. I have noticed that early on the pods could be harvested a little larger, ( 5-6 inch range) and still be pretty tender. As summer came on, they have gotten thicker and need to be harvested in the 3-4 inch range to remain fairly tender. I also started a couple plants of Emerald a few weeks ago, as they are advertised as being tender when harvested at a larger size, for comparison. The two varieties along with Cajun Delight I believe are the most popular at the local nurseries it seems. However, when talking okra with local folk, mainly older people that have grown or still grow okra. The variety most mentioned is Louisiana Green Velvet. They claim that it is the best with the pods staying tender even at larger size up to 7 or 8 inches, and is more slender than the CS that I am growing. I would love to hear more about the variety and okra overall from the TV bunch. I realize that there was a previous thread about okra, but that was a while back. So, lets hear from you okra fanatics!

Duane

Worth1 · August 23, 2007

Louisiana Green Velvet is my favorite as I have said before.
It is the #1 okra for this climate.

And I still haven't found my gallon of seeds.

You would do your self a big favor growing this type next year.

Worth

montanamato · August 23, 2007

I am growing Emerald and Burmese this summer....Okra loves heat I take it, as I have had tons of Okra since the middle of July....The Burmese is lighter colored and ridged, but I prefer the Emerald. I think I will try freezing it this week, as all my southern friends are starting to give me excuses....Kind of like the 3rd time you show up with zucchini....
It is a really neat plant and I would like to try some different types next year...Victory lists some interesting ones....I have 15 plants and the tallest is 2 1/2 ft. and they were producing at 10 inches...The wind and heat dwarfs most everything I grow...Except beets and kale...

Jeanne

duajones · August 24, 2007

Im looking forward to Emerald as it has started blooming, so it wont be long till I can compare it to the CS. Now I just need to get Green Velvet seeds for next year. I noticed that CS was listed at being 60 inches tall and my plants are 12 ft. Emerald and LGV are listed at 48 inches

shelleybean · August 24, 2007

I grew Dwarf Green Long Pod this summer. My neighbor's peach tree shaded my plants a lot more than I'd have liked but much to my surprise, they actually produced pretty well. Not as well as Duane's CS, but well enough to suit me. And the pods stayed tender up to nine inches or so. I tried to pick them at around six inches but a few got away from me. After trying long skinny podded types and short, fat podded types, I think I prefer the long skinny ones. They seem less fiberous. So I think I'm going to grow these again next year but in a part of the garden with more sun. The plants are fairly small but not as small as described at Victory. Mine grew to just over four feet tall. Somebody here, maybe Miss Mudcat, told me to go ahead and plant them about a foot apart. I did and they were fine, so I'll be doing that again. Everybody enjoy your okra!

Worth1 · August 24, 2007

I have a nice place to grow okra down in a loblolly on the back side of the place I think I might try some of these.

http://www.localharvest.org/store/item.jsp?id=7619

Here is the story!
http://www.malcolmbeck.com/articles/giant-okra.htm

Worth

duajones · August 24, 2007

Wow! Very interesting. The pods look huge. If you do grow them Worth, please let us know what you think

Ruth_10 · August 25, 2007

We're growing Evertender and Cajun Delight. The Evertender plants are about 12 ft. tall and this point and the Cajun Delight is about 3 ft. tall, but very branched. I have to say that any pods over about 5 in. get tossed into the compost pile, so I can't speak to tenderness for large pods.

My favorite way to eat okra is to put them in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes, drain, then slice up a nice tomato. Sprinkle both the okra and the tomato with some salt, then take a bit of okra and then a bite of tomato. The two flavors together in your mouth are very nice and the acidity of the tomato cuts the slimminess fo the okra. This make a very quick and tasty lunch from the garden.

Worth1 · August 27, 2007

This is too much I have ended up ordering $40 worth of Okra seeds. for next year.
And my brother is ordering 1/4 pound of LA green velvet for those that are in need of any.

Worth

Worth1 · September 18, 2007

My wife sent this to me, I guess she really loves me.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/getaw....ap/index.html

Worth

Gimme3 · September 19, 2007

Dua...hers another take based on yo original question.

In my opinion...Clemson Spineless is THE standard, for overall-yield. But you observe absolutely correct, as the season grows long, it needs cuttin sooner.

Louisiana Green Velvet grows very slender pods, and it's True...one can allow them to get 8-9 inches long an still cut high quality okra. I like that aspect about LGV. Yield-wise...tho, it runs a slow race compared to Clemson (Clempsun...lol). It DOES exhibit a longer stayin power, plant-wise...a better foilage growth, in the waning days of your growin season, but it still never yields as good a weight and therefore eatin volume, as Clemson will.

A highly-respected contributor here has suggested that i try...Cowhorn . Although im very pleased w/ Clempsun...)))i respect that input, an plan on givin it a go next season...)))

Worth1 · September 20, 2007

As far as okra goes I’m going to grow.
Star of David
Attachment 2993
Hill country heirloom red
Attachment 2994
Alabama red
Attachment 2995
Becks Big buck
Attachment 2996
Louisiana green velvet
Attachment 2997
So far!

Okra will grow like a weed around here with little care, so why not.
Seed production is my main goal.

Worth

Tormato · September 21, 2007

A first timer to okra (such as myself) soon learns that an 8 inch pod ain't twice as good as a 4 incher.

Gary

duajones · September 21, 2007

I have found that to be true with both the CS and now the Emerald. The emerald pods are quite a bit slender though

FlipTX · September 30, 2007

I grew Emerald and Dwarf Long Green Pod last year. The dwarf I grew in containers and the Emerald I grew in-ground. The latter branched like crazy. At one point, one plant had over two dozen producing branches. It wasn't uncommon to pick 8-10 pods per day from one plant sometimes. Those suckers grew fast, too. I'd pick big pods in the morning and leave the little to middlin' ones, then come back in the afternoon to find they'd grown enough to pick.

August 24, 2007	#5
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I grew Dwarf Green Long Pod this summer. My neighbor's peach tree shaded my plants a lot more than I'd have liked but much to my surprise, they actually produced pretty well. Not as well as Duane's CS, but well enough to suit me. And the pods stayed tender up to nine inches or so. I tried to pick them at around six inches but a few got away from me. After trying long skinny podded types and short, fat podded types, I think I prefer the long skinny ones. They seem less fiberous. So I think I'm going to grow these again next year but in a part of the garden with more sun. The plants are fairly small but not as small as described at Victory. Mine grew to just over four feet tall. Somebody here, maybe Miss Mudcat, told me to go ahead and plant them about a foot apart. I did and they were fine, so I'll be doing that again. Everybody enjoy your okra! __________________ Michele

August 25, 2007	#8
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	We're growing Evertender and Cajun Delight. The Evertender plants are about 12 ft. tall and this point and the Cajun Delight is about 3 ft. tall, but very branched. I have to say that any pods over about 5 in. get tossed into the compost pile, so I can't speak to tenderness for large pods. My favorite way to eat okra is to put them in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes, drain, then slice up a nice tomato. Sprinkle both the okra and the tomato with some salt, then take a bit of okra and then a bite of tomato. The two flavors together in your mouth are very nice and the acidity of the tomato cuts the slimminess fo the okra. This make a very quick and tasty lunch from the garden. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

September 19, 2007	#11
Gimme3 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northeast Georgia, USA Posts: 348	Dua...hers another take based on yo original question. In my opinion...Clemson Spineless is THE standard, for overall-yield. But you observe absolutely correct, as the season grows long, it needs cuttin sooner. Louisiana Green Velvet grows very slender pods, and it's True...one can allow them to get 8-9 inches long an still cut high quality okra. I like that aspect about LGV. Yield-wise...tho, it runs a slow race compared to Clemson (Clempsun...lol). It DOES exhibit a longer stayin power, plant-wise...a better foilage growth, in the waning days of your growin season, but it still never yields as good a weight and therefore eatin volume, as Clemson will. A highly-respected contributor here has suggested that i try...Cowhorn . Although im very pleased w/ Clempsun...)))i respect that input, an plan on givin it a go next season...))) __________________ ....Can you tell a green Field.....from a cold steel rail ? Roger Waters, David Gilmour

September 20, 2007	#12
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	As far as okra goes I’m going to grow. Star of David Attachment 2993 Hill country heirloom red Attachment 2994 Alabama red Attachment 2995 Becks Big buck Attachment 2996 Louisiana green velvet Attachment 2997 So far! Okra will grow like a weed around here with little care, so why not. Seed production is my main goal. Worth Last edited by Worth1; November 17, 2012 at 05:45 PM.

August 23, 2007	#1
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	Okra growers First time grower here as mentioned in a previous thread. Clemson spineless variety, only 5 plants, and have had very good success with it. Over 100 pods per plant at this point and the plants are in the 10-12 ft range. I have noticed that early on the pods could be harvested a little larger, ( 5-6 inch range) and still be pretty tender. As summer came on, they have gotten thicker and need to be harvested in the 3-4 inch range to remain fairly tender. I also started a couple plants of Emerald a few weeks ago, as they are advertised as being tender when harvested at a larger size, for comparison. The two varieties along with Cajun Delight I believe are the most popular at the local nurseries it seems. However, when talking okra with local folk, mainly older people that have grown or still grow okra. The variety most mentioned is Louisiana Green Velvet. They claim that it is the best with the pods staying tender even at larger size up to 7 or 8 inches, and is more slender than the CS that I am growing. I would love to hear more about the variety and okra overall from the TV bunch. I realize that there was a previous thread about okra, but that was a while back. So, lets hear from you okra fanatics! Duane

August 23, 2007	#3
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	I am growing Emerald and Burmese this summer....Okra loves heat I take it, as I have had tons of Okra since the middle of July....The Burmese is lighter colored and ridged, but I prefer the Emerald. I think I will try freezing it this week, as all my southern friends are starting to give me excuses....Kind of like the 3rd time you show up with zucchini.... It is a really neat plant and I would like to try some different types next year...Victory lists some interesting ones....I have 15 plants and the tallest is 2 1/2 ft. and they were producing at 10 inches...The wind and heat dwarfs most everything I grow...Except beets and kale... Jeanne

August 27, 2007	#9
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	This is too much I have ended up ordering $40 worth of Okra seeds. for next year. And my brother is ordering 1/4 pound of LA green velvet for those that are in need of any. Worth

September 18, 2007	#10
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	My wife sent this to me, I guess she really loves me. http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/getaw....ap/index.html Worth

September 21, 2007	#13
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,959	A first timer to okra (such as myself) soon learns that an 8 inch pod ain't twice as good as a 4 incher. Gary

September 30, 2007	#15
FlipTX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 271	I grew Emerald and Dwarf Long Green Pod last year. The dwarf I grew in containers and the Emerald I grew in-ground. The latter branched like crazy. At one point, one plant had over two dozen producing branches. It wasn't uncommon to pick 8-10 pods per day from one plant sometimes. Those suckers grew fast, too. I'd pick big pods in the morning and leave the little to middlin' ones, then come back in the afternoon to find they'd grown enough to pick.