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' ‘White Velvet’ Okra' Okra |
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Loaded with long, white, velvety, and spineless fruits, this is a gorgeous and delicious variety eaten fresh off the plant, cooked, or canned. White Velvet Okra has been an important part of Southern foodways (particularly in Alabama) for over 100 years. It was made commercially available in 1890 and was widely popular due to its tender fruit lacking spines, and beautiful contrast to the colors of tomato based soups, or sometimes in fresh salads, pickles, gumbos, or by itself. Like many important regional food plant varieties, the scaling up of globalized agriculture brought a flooding of the market of cheaper, more standard and generic green okra varieties being grown farther away, and so tender heirloom is extremely rare these days.
This variety was given to William Woys Weaver in the mid-1990s. White Velvet Okra has been designated by Slow Food as an outstandingly tasty, culturally important, and endangered heirloom from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and is listed in their Ark of Taste as a way to invite everyone to take action to help protect it.
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| Days To Maturity: |
NA
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| Seed Sources: |
True Love Seeds - updated in 2025
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| Rating Summary |
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Overall: (3.6 Stars)
Taste: (3.5 Stars)
Yield: (3.7 Stars)
Ease/Reliability: (3.6 Stars) |
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| Reviews |
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Login to share your Review of ‘White Velvet’ Okra.
Number of Reviews: 20
KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease
Reviewed on 12/04/2025 by
Heatherny
- An intermediate gardener
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 Overall
 Taste
Yield
Ease
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Dutchess, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| The Okra grew well, but unfortunately the wood chuck ate it before we could harvest |
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Reviewed on 12/04/2025 by
Otsego Master Gardeners1
- An intermediate gardener
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 Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Otsego, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: Less than 6 hours per day
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| Very large/ wide growth. Loved the warm weather this year. Fruits died as it got colder. Beautiful plant and flowers. |
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Reviewed on 12/03/2025 by
Cutler Botanic Garden
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Broome, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| crop failure |
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Reviewed on 12/02/2025 by
MGWayne
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
 Yield
Ease
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Wayne, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| The okra was difficult to harvest at the correct time, unless one visited the garden daily. By the time we tried to harvest, they were usually too hard. We did not have an opportunity to cook and taste |
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Reviewed on 11/26/2025 by
Orleans County MGs
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Orleans, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Very easy to grow, plants were tall and strong with beautiful flowers. Timing the harvest was difficult, though, we didn\'t ever get it just right before the fruits were hard and woody. |
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Reviewed on 11/24/2025 by
CCE Warren County
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Warren, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Sand
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Beautiful flowers! We ended up growing this vegetable in the ornamental part of the garden in addition to the edible part due to its beautiful flowers. We had a bit of trouble with timing the harvest right, and the pods are great at camouflaging, which is why we gave this vegetable 3 stars for ease/reliability. Aphids were a problem on this plant but were easy to stay on top of with consistent monitoring. |
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Reviewed on 11/10/2025 by
Albany County MGs
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
 Taste
Yield
Ease
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Albany, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Germinated well so I grew extra plants at home, these stayed small compared to the ones at our trial garden which gets full sun. I really liked that these were not slimy. Picked when small they were quite tasty but I think at the main site we struggled to pick them small.\r\nI would definitely grow this variety again. |
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Reviewed on 11/07/2025 by
caj88 CCE Oneida County
- A novice gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Oneida, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| We enjoyed growing this! I was surprised that we had as much as we did considering how cold the year was. The flowers are beautiful!\r\n\r\nIn terms of the produce, we had a small crop from our 4 plants and were able to eat some. It was hard to catch the okra before it got too hard to eat. \r\n\r\nOverall staff enjoyed the okra, even though for many it was their first time eating it. Some thought it was possibly overripe, which we struggled with overall. Not sure if the variety is just tougher or if we just caught them too late every time. |
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Reviewed on 11/03/2025 by
Seneca CCE
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Seneca, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Grew quite tall. Needed to be picked in a short window as they became woody quickly. |
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Reviewed on 10/30/2025 by
Schuyler CCE
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Schuyler, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Grew to a great height, bringing interest to the garden. Need to be on top of picking the pods when small. |
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Reviewed on 10/30/2025 by
CCE Nassau County NY
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Nassau, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Performed well, excellent yield, but grew very large (5-6 feet). Not ideal for a small bed. As it grew, it also developed side branches that increased the yield but made the plant about 3-4 ft wide as well. The pods were tasty when cooked as long as they were picked no longer than 4 inches. |
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Reviewed on 10/29/2025 by
Julie Rydza
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Erie, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Grows to tall 5 ft. Prolific harvest. Needed to protect with chicken wire due to possible ground hog/rabbit damage. |
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Reviewed on 10/29/2025 by
Julie Rydza
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Erie, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Grows to tall 5 ft. Prolific harvest. Needed to protect with chicken wire due to possible ground hog/rabbit damage. |
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Reviewed on 10/29/2025 by
CCE Orange County
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Orange, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Got powdery mildew. High yielding up until frost. |
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Reviewed on 10/10/2025 by
Cafolla
- A novice gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Monroe, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Not Sure
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| On 7/28- too old?; fibrous\r\nOverall- 2 plants didn\'t produce enough at one time to prepare. It seemed very easy to miss the window of when to pick. |
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Reviewed on 10/10/2025 by
Gasieiwcz
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Wyoming, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Needs to be harvested very early, especially in dry conditions. Fruit becomes woody quickly |
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Reviewed on 10/07/2025 by
Schenectady CCE
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Schenectady, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Good taste and texture but needs to be harvested early before it turns woody. Yield was poor in the raised bed, better when grown in pots. 2 out of 4 plants in the raised bed were stunted and 2 grew well. |
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Reviewed on 09/29/2025 by
Tompkins MGs
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Tompkins, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| The plants grew vigorously in the area where they had full sun and heat. They produced over a long period of time. No huge problems with diseases or insects; some late season powdery mildew. Testers found the okra to be crisp and edible at a large size (8 or more inches long). While crisper, they weren’t chewy or toothy, just a succulent bite with a faint crunch, which held its texture during light cooking without getting mushy but didn’t sacrifice the signature okra mucilage contribution to dish texture. They’re subtly more sweet than common market okras. This variety has character. |
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Reviewed on 09/24/2025 by
CCE Rockland
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Rockland, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Very good taste even on larger pods. A consistently strong yield throughout the season.\r\nFriends who never tried okra enjoyed the taste. |
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Reviewed on 09/19/2025 by
Jessica Luse
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Saratoga, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Not Sure
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| There was a lot of okra produced on the plant |
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