Description:

This compact variety produces red edible seed pods; best flavor when picked between 3-4 inches; great for grilling, roasting, stir-fry or stews; can be grown in the garden or in patio containers; heat tolerant; staking is recommended but not required

Edible Qualities

French Quarter Red Okra is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces dark red pointy pods which are typically harvested when mature. The pods have a pleasant taste and a crunchy texture.

The pods are most often used in the following ways:

• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Pickling

Planting & Growing

French Quarter Red Okra will grow to be about 26 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. Because of its vigorous growth habit, it may require staking or supplemental support. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop. While it is considered to be somewhat self-pollinating, it tends to set heavier quantities of fruit with a different variety of the same species growing nearby.

This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

French Quarter Red Okra is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.