Did you know that 1 cup of (boiled) okra has more calcium than a glass of milk and that roasted okra seeds can be ground like coffee bean...Read Mores & used as a substitute for coffee?
I'd much rather have a cup of boiled okra than a glass of COW's milk! ...but kinda doubt I'll be sub'ing ground okra for ground coffee; I love coffee, ;).
My Burgundy okra was grown from organically certified seed obtained from groworganics.com in 2008. Their Burgundy okra is Heirloom, has green leaves with burgundy stems, leaf ribs, and branches. It is pretty strong plant and withstands(withstood) some near tornado strength winds.
They grew fine at one foot spacing but it is a pain to harvest. Unless there is a need, by all means, space plants two feet apart in average-good soil. You will probably get more okra ...;).
I grew in raised framed bed with (my) soil mix and they hit over 8' before the season ended and were still producing some pods. (Mississippi County in NE Arkansas)
Production was average; less than standard "green" okra which is good for me cuz I cannot pick every day.
Most pods that are over 5" are not good (=> too tough); toss them or let them grow & save for seed. I had some pods ~ 12" long & 1.5" diameter before I yanked the plants.
Note that I did NOT need a shovel and TWO FOOT DEEP HOLE to yank these as I have had to do with standard "green" okra. MUCH better for the busy gardeners with sore backs, :). The roots are substantial so withstand drought-like conditions but not as huge as the other "green" okra.
I sowed the remaining seed from the "Packed for 2008" packet directly in a new garden's soil this year(May 12, 2011) and to my amazement achieved nearly 100% germination. Okra seed rarely lasts for more than two years so kudo's to Peaceful Valley for sending me fresh, quality seed in 2008.
Unfortunately I had spaced them at less than a foot so had too many too close together. I extended one bed and transplanted some. There was about 75% success rate for the transplants. ( I still have too many at 1' spacing but am out of room! )
My only complaints about Burgundy Okra are that the plant does not stop growing at 5' or 6' and that I had too many curled okra.
The latter could have been my fault ... poor irrigation habits or perhaps some bug that did not get killed with pyrethrums or neem oil solutions. I suspect ants and, therefore, aphids as the cause since the &*$ @*9! ants are ever present and very hard to eliminate organically.
The organically grown okra was very good tasting and I will be saving seeds to grow them again and again ... as I would rather grow this than standard, monster sized, okra.
Good grower. The pods (and leaves) really are burgundy, but they turn green when cooked. The flowers are yellow. It usually gets 5 to ...Read More6 feet tall in full sun. Doesn't mind heavy clay soil. Tolerates drought.
1) Plant seeds after last frost. Frost can damage or kill the seedlings.
2) Slugs and cutworms love the seedlings so you may want to protect them until they are a few inches high.
3) Tolerates transplanting so you can start them indoors.
4) No disease or pests seem to bother it once it's 6 or more inches high.
Did you know that 1 cup of (boiled) okra has more calcium than a glass of milk and that roasted okra seeds can be ground like coffee bean...Read More
Good grower. The pods (and leaves) really are burgundy, but they turn green when cooked. The flowers are yellow. It usually gets 5 to ...Read More