Blondy Okra Seeds

Days to Maturity: 50

All American Selections Winner 1986

An early, dwarf, spineless variety, Blondy Okra is a fruit vegetable. The plant sets attractive yellow flowers with a red center throughout the season, similar to small hibiscus blooms. The flowers are followed by ribbed, creamy-lime-green pods. Harvest Blondy Okra when pods reach 3 inches long. Larger okra tends to be tough and stringy. Okra can be canned, frozen, or cooked. A popular ingredient in French and Creole dishes, okra can be baked, boiled, steamed, stewed, or braised. Okra, also known as bhindi in India and bamia in Arabic countries, is a good source of vitamin C, folate, and fiber. It also contains niacin, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phytonutrients, phenolics, carotenoids, and flavonoids.

An herbaceous annual, okra is a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae). Blondy Okra has an erect, compact habit of hairy, deeply cut, dark green leaves. It only grows 3 feet high and 2 feet wide, so it fits nicely in small garden spaces or in pots and containers. An attractive specimen, Blondy Okra also works well in beds and borders, especially in an edible landscape. Open pollinated, it produces seed that grows true to variety, ideal for seed saving.

Easy to grow from seed, okra prefers full sun and moist, moderately fertile, well-drained loams with a neutral pH between 6.5 and 7.5. If soil is too high in nitrogen, the plant will produce more leaves and less fruit. Okra loves heat and humidity and thrives in hot summer climates. It tolerates poor soil and some drought, but fruits may not be optimal under these conditions. Plants can be pruned back by up to one-third to encourage a late season crop.

A warm-season vegetable, sensitive to cold temperatures and frost, okra seed can be direct sown into warm spring soil after all danger of frost has passed. It can also be started indoors 2 to 3 weeks before the last frost date and transplanted into soil that is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Flowers begin to set fruit with night temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees F. Protect plants if temperatures are expected to dip below 50 degrees F with row covers. Mulching helps to moderate soil temperature as well as to maintain soil moisture and control weeds.

If you plan to start your seeds indoors, be sure to check out our Bio Dome Seed Starter Kit. With the Bio Dome, you can control the temperature, light, and soil mix to ensure your seeds become strong for transplant.