Red Long Okra Seeds

Red Long Okra is the eye-catching cousin of ordinary green okra: its pods grow long, slender and ribbed in a rich burgundy-red that makes the plant as ornamental as it is productive. The colour runs through the whole young pod, so sliced fresh it adds a striking contrast to salads and stews, while the flavour stays the classic mild, tender okra taste prized in Egyptian cooking. Picked young, the pods are crisp and not fibrous, making this variety a favourite for both the vegetable patch and the decorative garden border.

Planting

Okra is a true warm-season vegetable with no tolerance for frost, so wait until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has genuinely warmed before direct-sowing. Aim for a soil temperature of at least 18 C measured at 10 cm depth for an even stand; sowing into soil at 21 C or warmer gives the most reliable results. Sow seed about 1.3 cm deep when direct-seeding, or only about 0.6 cm deep if you are raising transplants indoors (these can be started 4-5 weeks ahead and set out once the soil is warm). Soaking the seed in water for several hours to overnight softens its hard coat and speeds germination, which then takes roughly 7-14 days depending on soil warmth. Choose a spot in full sun, and where possible run the rows east-west to capture the most light. Thin established plants to about 45-60 cm apart in the row, with rows spaced 0.9-1.8 m apart.

Fertilizing

Before planting, work a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 into the soil; a useful pre-plant rate is around 1 kg of 10-10-10 per 9 square metres. Go easy on nitrogen overall, because an excess pushes leafy growth at the expense of flowers and pods. Once the plants are established and about 15-20 cm tall, begin side-dressing, then feed again 2-3 weeks later. As the plants start to flower and fruit, you can side-dress with calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0) at around 3-4 weeks and again at 6-8 weeks after planting to keep pod production strong.

Care

Keep soil moisture uniform down to about 15 cm depth throughout the season. During dry spells, give a deep soaking of about 2.5-4 cm of water once every 7-10 days, and water at ground level beneath the foliage so the leaves and pods stay dry, which helps limit disease. Watch for common okra pests including flea beetles, Japanese beetles, blister beetles, cucumber beetles, corn earworm and other worms, plus stink bugs and aphids. The most damaging problems are root-decay and root-rot diseases that kill young seedlings, along with root-knot nematode, Southern stem blight, Fusarium and Verticillium wilt, and occasional pod rot. Pods are ready about 60-70 days after planting; harvest them young and tender at about 5-8 cm long (clip at 8-10 cm at the latest), and pick at least every two days, since pods grow very fast and leaving them to mature on the plant makes them tough and fibrous and slows further production.