When you think about okra , image of the southern commonwealth might pop into your head ; it ’s a heat - bang works that needs a foresightful growing time of year to produce its eatable pods .
Despite the reputation , okra does grow in all USDA hardiness zones , but you have to take a aspect at all of the lady’s-finger varieties and pick the right one for your garden .
We ’re going to take a look at all of the different gumbo variety to help you pick the correct one for your growing time of year . If you do n’t , you ’ll end up with a failed craw and many uneatable , immature pods .
Do n’t let that be you !
How to Pick the Right Okra Variety for Your Garden
The biggest business concern when it comes to picking Abelmoschus esculentus kind is your climate . We know that many okra cultivars have a long produce season , but if you do n’t have a season duration to rival , you wo n’t be able-bodied to enjoy the gumbo pod .
Depending on where you ’re going to plant your okra , you ’ll also require to seem at the mature plants ’ height .
Typically , the width will match the tallness , and while pruning can keep them at a doable top , ensure the blank you have can cover the sizing of the plant .
If you have limited space or ask to keep the okra flora at a smaller height due to fill in casting , look for dwarf varieties .
You ’ll also find some varieties listed as spineless , but what does that mean ?
19 Of The Best Okra Varieties To Grow
1.Blondy
If you ’re looking for a dwarf Abelmoschus esculentus industrial plant variety that does n’t get too marvellous , Blondy could be an first-class choice for you . Typically , this okra diversity only reaches up to four feet improbable . It produces three - in - long pods that are spineless and pale green .
Blondy is another fantabulous option for those with a light mature season , taking about 50 day to turn over full due date . It lick well in container garden and small game .
2. Baby Bubba Hybrid
Here is an okra variety know for its small size , which is perfect for small garden plot of ground or container horticulture . These industrial plant typically reach 3 - 4 foot tall and 24 column inch wide .
Baby Bubba produces dark green gumbo fruits , taking 53 days , on average , to mature . So , if you live in a northern country or somewhere with a cold clime , Baby Bubba is ideal for short grow season .
Baby Bubba Hybrid seeds are available on Amazon
3. Burgundy
Here is a mixed bag that is n’t a small plant , so it ’s good only to pick Burgundy okra if you have blank space for it . The industrial plant typically reach five feet in height and 4 human foot in width . That ’s passably great for a unmarried industrial plant !
If you have space , this is one of the Hibiscus esculentus varieties that is a real show-stopper . It has Bourgogne - colour stems with dark-green leafage that create a gorgeous line .
The cod on this variety are 6 - 8 column inch long , taking 49 - 60 days to reach due date .
4. Clemson Spineless
Since 1939 when Clemson Spineless won the All - America Selection award , this okra variety has been the manufacture standard and the most popular type on the mart .
It ’s a preferent amongst gardeners , cover to top the charts for the most trade each yr .
It ’s estimated that 90 % of all commercially acquire okra is Clemson Spineless . One study found that one Accho of this variety yield up to 3,989 pods . That ’s a lot !
Clemson Spineless is not a small or dwarf variety . The plants touch four base tall and four feet broad . It take 60 twenty-four hours to attain adulthood . The pods are wishy-washy , dark green , slightly kink , and up to nine inches in distance .
Clemson Spineless seed are available from Amazon
5. Bowling Red
Who does n’t love an heirloom plant life that has a history behind it ? Bowling Red Abelmoschus esculentus began by the Bowling family of Virginia in the 1920s .
Since it start nearer to the southern states , it is a long - growing time of year kind , taking up to 65 day to maturate . Remember , that ’s in idealistic conditions .
Bowling Red plants grow up to eight tall with rich red stanch that make this a real showstopper .
The pod are long and fragile , and gardeners remark that these are more tippy than your intermediate Abelmoschus esculentus pod .
6. Cajun Delight
Are you still looking for the perfect unretentive growing time of year okra variety ? Cajun Delight is a hybrid gumbo plant that take on up to 55 days to strain full maturity . This plant reach up to four metrical foot tall , so it ’s not ideal if you need to produce okra in containers .
The cod on this variety are dark green , measuring 3 - 5 inches foresighted with a slightly curved shape .
7.Jing Orange
One of the most popular varieties of okra is Jing Orange that produces a adorable deep reddish - orangish , colored cod .
If you like plant that are strikingly beautiful while also producing a fantastic harvest , Jing Orange matches your desires . It ’s a Chinese heirloom variety that grows six to eight - inch long pods early , even if you go in juiceless condition . nurseryman remark that these pods are fantastically tender once cooked in a dish . The plants themselves are n’t too foresightful nor too small . They measure five to six foot tall , so in the middle of the potential ranges .
You could prune them to keep it on the smaller side if you choose to grow these in containers .
8.Go Big
It ’s hard not to apprise a double duty plant – extend edible , delicious fruits and looking gorgeous while doing so . Go with child okra is gross for those who like ornamental plants with a purpose .
These plants are tall , typically reaching up to seven feet tall and five foot across-the-board . It ’s not a miscellany if you want to grow gumbo in container unless you have a massive tidy sum for them .
Go self-aggrandizing produces black green pods that are about seven inch long , and it read up to 65 day to hit full maturity date .
9. Cow Horn
If you live on in the S and have a longer rise time of year , Cow Horn okra can be an ornamental flora for you as well . It ’s a declamatory , heirloom that take up to 90 days to reach maturity .
How large is large ?
moo-cow Horn plants can reach up to 14 feet tall – severely ! To match , the pods are enormous as well , reaching up to 14 inches in length with a curved shape .
10. Emerald
Emerald okra is an open - pollinated , heirloom variety of Abelmoschus esculentus developed by the Campbell ’s Soup Company in the fifties . How cool is that ?
These are not ideal plants for someone who wants to farm lady’s-finger in container ; they can reach up to 8 understructure marvelous .
The pods arise up to seven inches in duration with a smooth , dark green color . It takes up to 60 days for this plant life to reach full maturity .
11.Star of David
This variety of okra originated as an Eastern Mediterranean heirloom seed , reaching up to seven feet tall or higher .
That ’s right ; this plant can be even marvelous than that , so Star of David okra is not recommend for small space gardening or container .
This plant has purplish leaves and fatty seedpod that take up to 75 days to progress to maturity . That ’s why it ’s recommended as a cultivar for southern gardener to grow .
It ’s right on the leaflet of being too foresightful for short season gardeners . It ’s not a spineless multifariousness . In fact , it has more spines than mean , but those do roil off , so do n’t interest !
12.Jambalaya Okra
This is a fat but compact okra variety that is awesome for growing pods that work well for canning and other preservation method .
The pods measure about five inch long that are really substantive and take 50 days to reach maturity .
That means it ’s a fantastic alternative for northerly gardeners or southerly gardeners who require two harvests .
If you want to be the first in your neighbourhood with fresh lady’s-finger , Jambalaya will earn you that title .
Since these plants are summary , typically measure out four foot marvelous , you could develop them in container if you desire . The industrial plant starts to produce pods as soon as it ’s two foot tall !
13. Burmese
Here is an heirloom variety of gumbo that originated from Burma or Myanmar . It ’s an early producing cultivar that takes about 53 days to produce its harvest time .
Burmese okra plants set out to bring on when the plants are about 18 inches marvellous , and they ’ll preserve to bear yield until the first rime hits in your region .
Burmese flora have vast leaves that measure up to 16 in across !
The pod grow up to 12 inches long , supple - face , and curl while being virtually spineless . As the pods mature , they exchange from light dark-green to a yellowed - green .
14. Alabama Red
If you desire to see a plant arise at a unbalanced dissipated pace and produce its harvest time in a short time frame , Alabama Red okra is the flora for you .
It can reach maturity date in as niggling as 50 days , and it grows to a height of five to seven feet improbable .
These plants grow profusely , yielding fat red and green pods . The stems and leafage veins are crimson to match the pods . You ’ll love these pods ; they ’re delicious fried or pickled invigorated .
15.Perkins Long Pod
Perkins is an heirloom variety with a shorter growing time of year , take only 55 day to reach full maturity . It works well for northerly and southern gardeners .
Perkins Long Pod plant reach about five substructure in pinnacle , bearing square light-green pods that measure out four inches long .
16. Silver Queen
Silver Queen okra is a variety that loves the southern state , thriving in the high temperature of summer . It does n’t wish inhuman atmospheric condition at all .
Silver Queen is one of the okra variety that takes longer to mature , typically about 80 days .
That ’s another index that this cultivar does well in warmer climates with a prospicient growing season .
It ’s an heirloom variety that can progress to up to six feet tall , producing off-white - green pods that measure seven in long .
17. Red Velvet
This okra variety give rise plant that acquire up to five feet tall and four ft wide , so they ’re on the border of being an satisfactory size of it for small place gardening .
Some people say that they fit well in container , but you will want a big pot to control them .
Red Velvet okra produces ruddy crimson seedpod that are ribbed and reach up to six column inch long . It take about 55 - 60 days to give full due date .
18.Louisiana Green Velvet
Here is another open - pollinated , heirloom variety of okra that produces magnanimous plants . Louisiana Green Velvet plants can be up to eight metrical unit marvelous , producing eight in long , colored green , and thornless pods .
This works throw quite a argument in your garden since it will be taller than you , but it produce abundantly .
One study showed that an Akka of this cultivar yields up to 3,826 of okra pod ; that ’s near to the yield get by Clemson Spineless .
19.Hill Country Red
As you might have guessed from the name , this kind produces red okra pod instead of green .
It ’s an heirloom seed create in the Texas Hill nation . The plant life reaches an average of six feet tall , which adds an exciting smell along with producing delicious fruit .
Hill Country Red takes about 64 days to mature , producing green fruits with red tinges throughout that measure up to six inch long .
Picking The Right Type of Okra
As you may see , the myth that only southerly gardener can grow okra is a myth . You do want to make indisputable you embed lady’s-finger when it ’s quick outside . You might need to wait a few weeks after the last hoar in your area to be sure that the hoarfrost ’s risk is gone .
blame one or more of the best okra varieties for your garden based on your growing season , type of garden you have , and what form of okra you want .
Written By
Bethany is a suburban squatter , grow over half of the veg , fruit , and herbs that her family of six need each year . She raises chickens and homeschools her nestling . When she is n’t spending time run to her garden , you’re able to find her reading , crocheting , and tin .
