About These Seeds
These okra seeds come from fourteen growers across the U.S.,all cultivated naturally without pesticides. This collection offers a wide range of colors, shapes, flavors, and textures, reflectingthe diversity of growing conditions and practices. Ideal for gardeners interested in resilience and adapting to local challenges over time, these seeds represent a collaborative effort to preserve and share diversity.
Days to maturity for eating:
Days to maturity for seed:
If starting indoors:
Direct sowing outdoors or transplanting date:
Light:
Days to germination:
Planting
PollinationNotes:Okra will cross-pollinate with other varieties of Abelmoschusesculentusgrown nearby. To maintain seedpurity, only grow one variety at a time. This project welcomes seeds from any resilient and flavorful okra plants that thrive in your garden.
Resist the urge to perfect your soil with store-bought amendments. Okra thrives over time when allowed to adapt to native soil.
Plantingtemperature: Cooler soil will delay germination—at °F, seeds may take days to sprout, while at °F they germinate in just days. Don’t plant too early. If it’s your first year growing okra in a northern climate, we recommend starting seeds indoors with bottom heat or in a warm area.
DirectSown(jumptothenextpageiftransplantingsuitsyour needsbetter). Okra thrives with warm temperatures. Wait to plant the seeds in your garden until nighttime temperatures consistently stay above °F, typically at least weeks after the last frost. Plant seeds ½ to inch deep in soil, spacing seeds – inches apart (depending on space and amount of seeds that you have).
Starting Seeds and Transplanting
Okra can be started in flats or pots. Sow – seeds per cell,weeks before you intend to plant outside. Again, don’t start seeds too early! Okra is sensitive to being rootbound,and to outside temperatures that are too cool. Make sure you have bright sunlight or grow lights to avoid weak stems, and move outside when possible to mimic natural conditions.
If more than one seedling emerges per pot, use scissors to cut weaker seedlings at soil level. Look for dark green leaves and vigorous growth.
Transplantoutdoors after the last frost date, once nighttime temperatures stay consistently above °F.
Use care with okra when transplanting; roots don’t like to be disturbed. Water in immediately.
Space plants – inches apart, depending on your soil and conditions. If space is limited, you can plant more denselyand thin gradually over several weeks, removing weaker plants while observing traits like pest resistance or tolerance to nematode damage. Keep the strongest and healthiest plants that align with your gardening goals.
Harvesting to Eat
During the summer you will start to notice flowers then pods forming. In this seed mix, expect a wide diversity. There will be a range of pod colors, plant sizes, and resilience to disease and drought tolerance. Some plants will have spines which youmay choose to cull.
Harvest pods regularly while they are young and tender (inches long) to enjoy their flavor and learn about the plants. As you harvest, identify your favorite plants based on planthealth, flavor, color, and productivity. Don’t overthink this– justchoose plants you like!
Mark these plants and leave a few branches with pods to mature for seed saving. Allow at least three plants to go to seed to maintain good diversity. Remember to leave enough pods to have enough seeds for yourself and to share.
Harvest every - days to encourage continued production. Larger pods become tough and fibrous. These forgotten pods can also be allowed to mature for seed.
Eating Okra: Pods, Seeds and Leaves
Young pods, harvested at – inches, can be sautéed, grilled, pickled, or even fermented into tangy kimchi.
Dehydrated pods are tasty in soups and stews, or as a crunchy snack.
The immature seeds add texture to salads, make delicious ‘okra caviar’, and roasted mature seeds make a nutty coffee substitute or flour for baking.
Even the leaves and flowers are edible: cook the leaves like spinach or dry the flowers for tea.
Selection for Resilience
DiseaseResistance:Okra plants vary in their ability to tolerate root knot nematodes and other pests. By observing your plants over the season and saving seeds from healthy, productive plants, you are increasing resistance to common pests.
If you find plants that don’t thrive,eatallthepodsand don’t save their seeds. Or cull the plant.
To keep nematodes under control, use organic strategies like crop rotation and cover cropping, and predatory nematodes. Avoid using any pesticides, even if they are Organic, because building locally adapted varieties depends on celebrating the plant’s natural ability to resist infestations by pests and other challenges.
Using these methods over time will result in populations that thrive even when faced with local challenges that decimate commercial seed varieties.
Harvesting Pods for Seed
After a few weeks of enjoying pods from all your plants, allow pods from the chosen branches or plants to mature.
When mature, the seams will start splitting, and pods will change color.
Harvest the pods before rain is expected to avoid mold and before the dry pods split wide open. If pods are not completely dry at time of harvest, allow them to continue ripening in an area protected from moisture. Pods and seeds will be brown when ready for saving.
Separate okra seeds from fully dried pods by breaking the pods open by hand to release the seeds.
Seed Cleaning and Storage
Remove larger pieces of chaff by hand, and for finer cleaning, shake the seeds through a colander or mesh screen, or winnow:
ToWinnow:Clean the seeds by pouring the seed/debris mixture from one bin to another beneath it (have a sheet under the nd bin in case you lose too many while first learning this method) in front of a gently blowing fan outdoors or on a breezy day.
The lighter chaff blows away while the heavier seeds fall into the bin below.
You can use this technique for most crops that have dry seeds.
Store seeds in a cool, dry, dark place after freezing them for hours to eliminate any pests. (After freezing, do not open the bag/container until it has warmed to room temperature to avoid condensation.) Properly dried and stored, okra seeds can remain viable for up to five years.
About Xxx Seed Library/Org
When you return seeds, you're helping build a living library of locally-adapted varieties that get stronger with each passing season.
Return Seeds Instructions:
Location
Mailing Address to mail in seeds
Volunteer Info– Days,Times,Address
Website
social media
Mailing List
Mission: We are cultivating community resilience by spreading regionally adapted seeds and knowledge.
Where does Okra come from?
Okra originated in the tropics of East Africa, where it was first cultivated thousands of years ago. It spread to West Africa, becoming a key crop in local diets and agriculture.
The Igbo word okuru influenced its name, while “gumbo” comes from the Bantu termkingombo. During the transatlantic slave trade, enslaved Africans brought okra seeds to the Americas, introducing the plant to the southern U.S., where it became central to dishes like gumbo and other Creole and Caribbean cuisines.
From Africa, okra also spread to India, where it is called “bhindi,” and to Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean, adapting to new climates.
Today, okra is valued for its adaptability and deep connections to African food heritage and history, linkingmany cultures.
Locally Adapted, Community Selected
Year by Year Guide
Howdoweadaptacroptoourlocalenvironment?
Year1: Get lots of gardeners to plant lots of seeds. Some plants will do better than others, and that’s OK; celebrate these strong ones. Save seeds from any plants that produce seeds, despite challenges.
Year2: Plant your saved seeds but this time be more selective. Remove the weakest plants and save seeds from the healthier, more productive, insect- and disease-resistant plants in your population.If the plants or their fruits are delicious, enjoy the bonus.
Year3andbeyond:Repeat Year but start selecting plants with the traits that you love, e.g., preferred flavor, size and shape, dark colors or early ripening. Introduce - new varieties or another local gardener’s seeds to keep your population diverse, so it can continue to adapt and evolve (always save seeds from multiple plants).
TheKey: Save your seeds and share some with your local seed library. Your seeds will be mixed with other gardeners’ seeds and shared back with the community, resulting in a diverse, resilient local crop.
GoingtoSeedandWorkingFood
Please fill out this sticker or form and return with your seeds
Plant/species name:__________________________________
Variety (or parent varieties) ____________________________
Garden Location:_____________________________________
Year: _______________________________________
Grower name: ____________________________________
Email or phone: ___________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________________
● Make sure seeds are completely dry and clean.
● Bring them to your local seed library in any clean container
● Fill out a quick check-in slip (found near the seed cabinet, or use the tear-off page here.
● Note any special traits or reasons you saved the seeds.
Seed Packet
Why Save Local Seeds?
In this guide, you'll learn how to grow and save seeds from crops that get stronger and more delicious with each generation. Along the way, you'll join an ancient tradition of seed stewards, helping to heal our food system from the ground up.
Localization - Over time, seeds learn your soil, local pests, climate, and your habits, and will thrive with less effort from you.
Strengththroughcommunity - Share seeds, stories and knowledge. Every gardener adds to our local food security.
Selectforwhatyoulove- Grow food that matches what matters to you—flavor, sustainability, resilience, or all three.
Seed Pledge: I commit to saving seeds from the earliest and best plants and sharing them with my community.
