- Germination
- 5-10 days
- Seed depth
- 1/2 inch
- Spacing
- 12 inches
- Sun requirements
- Full sun (minimum of 6 hours per day)
- Days to harvest
- 50-60 days
- Growing zone(s)
- 6a-11b
Imagine walking around your property and finding an abandoned garden with giant 7-8' tall okra stalks with big ol' fat okra growing on it! That's what happened with Malcolm Beck, near San Antonio, TX, back in 1968. So he harvested the seeds that he could, and it's still a very popular variety of okra today, especially in the south. They once called this okra "snapping" okra, because the pods will snap right off the stalk when they're ready to harvest.
You'll notice in the photo(s) below, these okra are called "big buck" because of the large, fat pods it produces. Make no mistake, though, these okra are still plenty tender! This okra would probably be a good candidate for cutting open and eating with just some salt and maybe a little pepper!
This okra should be planted in a well-draining area, in full sun. If not full sun, it will need at least 6-8 hours of sun every day. Okra is one of few plants that thrive in the heat! You'll want to plant the seeds at about a 1/2 inch depth, about 12 inches apart. This okra needs a minimum soil temp of 60 degrees to germinate, but at least 70-80 is recommended, and it'll still grow at even higher temps!
Like many other vegetables, you can start these indoors, then transplant them outdoors later. You'll want to start them indoors 4-5 weeks before your last expected frost. I also recommend acclimating your plants to the outdoors, by placing them outside at incrementally longer periods of time daily. This will especially help get the stalks thickened up enough to withstand the winds when you put them outside.
While this okra is fairly drought tolerant, you will see a significant decline in pod production if you don't get enough water on this plant. It's recommended they get 1-2 inches of water per week.
I hope you've got a step-stool handy! These okra stalks will reach heights of up to 7-8 feet tall. According to @Meadowlark he's had plants up to 10 foot tall, and producing okra pods all the way up!
You'll want to pick these okra when they're about 3-4 inches long, just to make sure they're the most tender, which could happen in as little as just a few days after the flowers bloom. Letting them go too long will lead to a very tough okra pod, that won't make for a very pleasant eating experience for anyone.
As mentioned before, this okra used to be called "snapping" because the pods will snap right off the stalk when they're ready. Even still, I would always recommend using a sharp knife or some scissors, just to help prevent any kind of damage done, especially to the okra stalks.
Here's a photo from @Meadowlark of what is mostly Beck's Big Buck okra, mixed with a bit of the Jambalaya okra. It's pretty easy to tell which are the big buck okra simply by how fat the pods are.
You'll notice in the photo(s) below, these okra are called "big buck" because of the large, fat pods it produces. Make no mistake, though, these okra are still plenty tender! This okra would probably be a good candidate for cutting open and eating with just some salt and maybe a little pepper!
Planting and sowing
This okra should be planted in a well-draining area, in full sun. If not full sun, it will need at least 6-8 hours of sun every day. Okra is one of few plants that thrive in the heat! You'll want to plant the seeds at about a 1/2 inch depth, about 12 inches apart. This okra needs a minimum soil temp of 60 degrees to germinate, but at least 70-80 is recommended, and it'll still grow at even higher temps!
Like many other vegetables, you can start these indoors, then transplant them outdoors later. You'll want to start them indoors 4-5 weeks before your last expected frost. I also recommend acclimating your plants to the outdoors, by placing them outside at incrementally longer periods of time daily. This will especially help get the stalks thickened up enough to withstand the winds when you put them outside.
Growing and care
While this okra is fairly drought tolerant, you will see a significant decline in pod production if you don't get enough water on this plant. It's recommended they get 1-2 inches of water per week.
Harvest
I hope you've got a step-stool handy! These okra stalks will reach heights of up to 7-8 feet tall. According to @Meadowlark he's had plants up to 10 foot tall, and producing okra pods all the way up!
You'll want to pick these okra when they're about 3-4 inches long, just to make sure they're the most tender, which could happen in as little as just a few days after the flowers bloom. Letting them go too long will lead to a very tough okra pod, that won't make for a very pleasant eating experience for anyone.
As mentioned before, this okra used to be called "snapping" because the pods will snap right off the stalk when they're ready. Even still, I would always recommend using a sharp knife or some scissors, just to help prevent any kind of damage done, especially to the okra stalks.
Photo(s)
Here's a photo from @Meadowlark of what is mostly Beck's Big Buck okra, mixed with a bit of the Jambalaya okra. It's pretty easy to tell which are the big buck okra simply by how fat the pods are.
