Pods are absolutely spineless; the velvet name is well earned, as that is how they feel. No need for a ladder in the late season, as pla...Read Morents only grow to about 6 feet. No need to trim side branches; every branch will make pods. No need to cut leaves to force fruiting; you can't stop them from making pods. When I was tired of eating and putting up okra, I left the plants to dry up the last few pods for seed. To my surprise, when I went to collect, I found the top 2 feet of each stem covered with pods. Plenty of dry ones for seed, with fresh ones still forming at the top! Hands down the best experience I have ever had growing okra. It is sad that this variety is becoming so hard to find. I will be saving seed from it for years to come.
Edit, September 2011: I previously said that they only grow to 6 feet, but they proved me wrong this year. Not sure if I gave them more fertilizer than I thought or if they are just adapting to my garden, but this year's plants are over 9 feet high! I've also noticed increased production with successive generations. The first few years I grew these I needed 9 plants to get enough in a single picking to bring in and cook; now 4-5 seem to be plenty.
Pods are absolutely spineless; the velvet name is well earned, as that is how they feel. No need for a ladder in the late season, as pla...Read More
White Velvet is an older variety which is no longer readily available. It is similar in growth and production to Emerald but has pale green pods.