Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Clemson Spineless Okra is an award winning, open-pollinated heirloom variety that was first bred in 1939 at Clemson University in South Carolina. This high-yielding okra variety is grown as an annual and thrives in the heat and southern climates. The plant produces green spineless ribbed pods that are best harvested when 3 inches long. The cream-colored flowers are edible as well and have a nutty-asparagus flavor. Clemson Spineless Okra does well in large containers but can be planted in garden beds as well. Cooler climates can grow it in the late spring though late summer and get a good crop. It is a beginner friendly and easy to grow variety with a range of culinary uses. Okra pods can be prepared fresh, boiled, fried, canned, steamed and more. Use it in salad, stir-fries, soups or most famously, gumbo. Pods can be stored for longer periods of time by blanching and freezing them or pickling.
NAME: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)
VARIETY: Clemson Spineless
DAYS TO MATURITY: 50 – 60 days
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 5 – 12
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun
SOIL: Fertile, loose soil with a pH 6.0 – 6.8
PLANT HEIGHT: 36 – 60 inches
SPACING: 12 – 16 inches apart
TEMP: 55 – 95 °F
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Start seeds indoors 2 weeks before your last local spring frost.
Soak the seeds in a cup of water for 12 hours before sowing to decrease germination time.
Fill 3-inch pots or cell tray plugs with a seed starting mix that is loose, light and well aerated.
Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep, 2 seeds per cell plug or pot.
Put them 3 inches below grow lights or on a very sunny windowsill, always keeping the soil moist. Germination takes 13 to 20 days.
Once the seeds sprout, thin to one seedling per cell/pot.
Ideally, you should transplant your seedlings directly into the ground before they are 6 inches tall, as they will begin to outgrow their containers.
If danger of frost has not passed before they begin to outgrow their cell/pot, you may need to transplant them into larger pots until you can plant them outside.
When transplanting, space plants 12 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.
Direct sow okra seeds in full sun and fertile, well-worked soil after all danger of frost has passed in the early spring.
Plant 2 to 3 seeds every 12 inches in rows 2 feet apart; thin out to 1 seedling per 12 inches once plants become 2 inches tall.
Okra seeds should be started indoors if you are in a cool climate with a short growing season.
Starting indoors will give your plant time to fully mature and bear a heavy crop during the growing season with minimal stressors.
Make sure your bed has soil that is free of weeds and rocks; loose, fertile soil is ideal.
Top dressing with compost will help fertility.
Add mulch around the plants when they are 6 to 10 inches tall; let soil lightly dry out between watering, okra does not tolerate soaked roots.
Fertilize or add compost twice during the season.
Okra matures around day 50 to 60, but the pods can be harvested for best flavor when they are 3 to 4 inches long; oversized pods will be tough.
Use a sharp knife or scissors to cut the pods from the plant, taking care not to damage the stem.
Harvest okra regularly, as pods left on the plant too long can become tough and fibrous.
Check the plants daily during the peak harvesting period, as okra pods can quickly become overripe.
