I’m starting my Jambalaya okra in cups so I can gain a couple of weeks growing time and hopefully an earlier harvest. I would like to plant enough but due to space I don’t want to over plant. I would like to pick enough for two generous portions a week for two people. How many plants should I grow? Any comments are welcome.
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The soil needs to be well warmed for planting okra in the ground. I believe you are starting your seed too early for your zone. Have you looked up the recommended date for your zone? My paper shows planting date of 4/1 for North Louisiana which is the same zone as you, 8a. I think 5 healthy growing plants will provide you a good amount for 2 people.
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Thanks. Yes I agree that I started them too early.
It can work out if you can keep them growing well with enough room in their pots until it is time to set them in the ground.
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If you are into container gardening, I grew two per cat litter bucket with herbs growing beneath them last year and got them to push out plenty. This year I am cutting it back to one per bucket because I think a single plant given that same space would’ve produced the same amount or more. I think the sun hitting the buckets warmed the soil up faster than it heated up the soil because they were outpacing my in-ground peppers by 2-3 weeks.
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I direct sow mine after the soil has warmed. Even after the tomatoes have been in the ground a while. Soil needs to be really warm for them to germinate. Here in 6b I usually wait until late may early June. I have also heard they are hard to transplant, they don’t like their roots disturbed.
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I planted 20 cups on 20220305. Two seeds per cup. Looks like I planted considerably more than needed so I might plant ten early and hold the other ten in containers for backups.
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You will have plenty with 20 plants. 10 would probably give enough. When they start producing, you will be picking every day.
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@Auburn … I have 10 ft long rows in my 10x40 flat garden where I grow my veggies.
Above is a pic of a somewhat double row of jambalaya okra in my garden last year.
Once they start producing good… you need to pick them every 2 or 3 days… and we picked and ate them for months last year.
With two beds like that 20- 24 plants of jambalaya you could easily serve 3-4 a couple times a week.
I am going to up my okra space this year… to get 3 double rows like that going… so we can hopefully eat all we want and can some too. I have sure missed the okra this winter.
Good luck with the okra… it is good keto food for sure.
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I’ll do 30-40 plants a year. I refrigerator pickle a bunch and they are awesome that way. I have a recipe from YouTube for regular cucumber pickles and I do the Okra exactly the same. Love them
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Thanks
I just ordered more Jambalaya okra seed from Hoss Tools… got some greens and lettuce too…
I was out of Jambalaya… I had found some Clemson Spineless at our local Walmart a while back and bought more of those too… They are very good okra too. They don’t quite keep up with Jambalaya production wise in my garden, but make very nice pods (lighter green) where the Jambalaya’s are a darker green pod. Both taste excellent.
Now I have okra on the brain… wish I had a bunch to fry up for supper tonight.
Also… remember that Youtube Vid I put up last year… by Old Alabama Gardner… how to can okra for frying… I never got around to trying that last year, but this year I am determined to can some, for frying. By the way OAG passed away last year… sad… but his vids are still available on YT.
I need to can some, freeze some… somehow get some okra into my winter diet 
TNHunter
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If I understand correctly it takes awhile for the seed to germinate so seeing five of twenty sprouting after three days surprised me.The seed is still attached.
I’ve watched several of his videos. He was pleasant to watch.
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Last year I started 2 plants each of 3 varieties for 2 people. It didn’t produce enough for more than adding to soups. This year I have 4 varieties. I am just starting the seed now for zone 5b as we are 4 weeks out from last frost date. This may be a little early but I have good lighting in the house and they were a little slow to germinate last year. I sure would like to have a nice plate full like in that video to fry up and to can. Well wishes.
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That is a pic of Jambalaya okra in my garden last year on July 10.
I normally plant Tomatoes (end of April) then Green beans a week or two later, then Okra after that.
I direct sowed mine in that garden bed… probably late May… had blooms July 10… and Jambalaya starts blooming and setting fruit very low on the stalk (lower and sooner than most).
I have tried in the past starting okra earlier and my experience has been that it will just sort of sit there and not grow much at all, until the ground temps come on up, then it will take off. It loves HEAT.
I posted a pic last year of cooked okra on June 21… not sure if that was our first or not but sure it was some of the first.
My fav way to cook it…
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The trips bringing these okra plants in on cold nights is about over. I might have planted a little early.
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I planted eleven and I’m holding about fifteen more in cups until the frost danger is over. I’m no okra expert but this variety Jambalaya looks like it will deliver an early and heavy crop.
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As I was doing my early morning walk through the orchard I noticed a little sparkle in the row of Jambalaya okra. Hope this is a start to enjoying a summer of great tasting okra. This is my first time planting this variety and it is supposed to fruit early and often. Moved this plant from a cup into the row 29 days ago and it is about 6” tall. I first thought it was just a fluke but then there was another plant with a bloom. As of now things are looking good but I’m curious to see how well it handles our hot and dry summer.
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@Auburn … we had a late blackberry cool spell last week that ended Monday… and this week… we have mid 80s to mid 90s forecast for the next 10 days.
I planted 3 double rows of jambalaya okra Monday evening after work.
My rows are only 10 ft long… below is what one of my double rows looked like last year.
In about a month… going to start two more double rows… of Clemson spineless okra.
I hope to have plenty to eat fresh and can/freeze a bunch this year too.
Good luck with your okra friend !
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