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All-America Selections
Malvaceae
ABELMOSCHUS esculentus 'Cajun Delight'
Okra
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
A 1997 All-America Selections award winner, 'Cajun Delight' produces lots of large, tasty okra fruits much faster than other okra varieties. This tropical annual vegetable originates from Africa and has large edible pods that are a American Southern favorite eaten fried, stewed with tomatoes or used to thicken gumbo. This variety's pods remain quite tender even when at full mature size on the plant.
Mature plants become quite tall and have a sturdy upright habit. They have big, spiny, palmate, dark green leaves and produce pretty creamy yellow hollyhock-like flowers with burgundy centers. When these heat-loving plants are mature and producing, their long, ribbed, upright green pods grow quickly and require harvest while young, small and tender. On average, 'Cajun Delight' requires only 50 days to harvest, making them unexceled for gardens in short but warm summer regions.
Okra requires full sun and well-drained soil with ample nutrients. It is easily grown from seed, and plants begin to bear fruit in the midsummer and will continue through to fall. They require warm days and nights for good production, so refrain from planting them outdoors until the threat of frost is past. Purple-fruited varieties may be used ornamentally in mixed borders, and mature okra pods turn tan and woody when dry and can be used in everlasting flower arrangements.
12 - 2
H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Vegetable
Full Sun
3'-4' / 0.9m - 1.2m
2'-3' / 0.6m - 0.9m
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Africa
Neutral
Well Drained
Loam, Sand
Very Fast
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Upright/Erect
Summer, Fall
Showy
White, Yellow
Green
Green, Dark Green
Yes
No
Single
Bold
Matte
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
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