Hi Bill,

Long time no see. Hope y'all are well.

To me, 73 pods sounds like a whole lot, but it is not the most pods I've ever heard of on a plant. (It is more than I've likely ever seen on one plant myself though.)

There is an okra variety called Stewart's Zeebest that was actually selected out of Green Velvet. The folks who saved the seed, George and Mary Stewart, repeatedly saved seed from the biggest pods from the bushiest, highest-producing plants. They selected the replanted the best seed for 9 years until they felt they had a stable okra variety that consistently produced very large, very bushy plants that were very high yielding. They called it Stewart's Bushy Zeebest Okra, I think, and eventually it came to be known as Stewart's Zeebest. With exceptionally wide spacing, Stewart's Zeebest can produce 240 to 250 pods. I find that amazing. Still, your 73 pods sounds equally amazing to me. You must have had some good summer rains to get production like that?

Dawn

OK, I have heard about Stewart's Zeebest too many times now, so I guess it is time to order some. LOL

George,

I grew up in Texas where the Stewarts were well-known and highly revered in gardening circles, particularly among vegetable gardeners, and sometimes were featured in local newspaper and regional magazine articles. I knew who they were long before I'd ever heard of Stewart's Zeebest okra.

There's a regional gardening magazine called "Texas Gardener" that I still read regularly because gardening in Texas is not that different from gardening in Oklahoma, and in May 2009, the magazine's featured cover story was about okra.

In a sidebar that accompanied the okra article, Patty Leander, a Texas Master gardener, author and speaker, wrote about the Stewarts and Stewart's Zeebest Okra. During the latter years of their lives, the Stewarts befriended Ms. Leander and she considered them her gardening mentors. With info gleaned from them and their daughter, whose name I believe is Molly, Ms. Leander has pieced together the history of Stewart's Zeebest.

Back in the summer, we had a fairly long thread on okra and I repeated there some of what Patty Leander said about Stewart's Zeebest in the sidebar article. I'll link that thread to this one.

If "Texas Gardener" magazine maintained an online article archive, I'd link the article from the May 2009 issue, but they don't. Usually, their website only features articles from the most recent issue.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Previous Okra Thread With Info on Stewart's Zeebest

Thanks Dawn, it all makes sense reading from the other thread. Somehow I dropped out of that discussion before that part; simply forgetting to go back and check.

Baker Creek Heirlooms received their seed from me, through Merlyn Niedens (spelling?). I'm not sure about Southern Exposure. I have sent out many many samples, some to people associated with Southern Exposure, since 2002. There have not been any listings of this variety in Seed Savers Exchange, that haven't traced back to me. So this is really big news (at least for me).

I've never had a non-branching plant crop up, from this seed. And, I've never grown another okra at the same time, or had okra growing anywhere nearby. So my seed should be pure. But it did go through a genetic bottleneck back in the early or mid 90's. That's when I received the seed. I tried to grow it in Tasquillo, Hidalgo, Mexico. There, I only managed to harvest one ripe pod off of (obviously) one plant. All my seed is descended from that one plant.

George

George, Can I buy some seed from you? If you have enough to sell I will buy extra and add some to the swap packets in January. Just send me an email and let me known the cost please.

My plan is to grow fewer plants and leave a larger distance between them and see how that works. I have planted mine much closer than the OK experts recommend.

Carol, drop me an e-mail. I have plenty of seed.

George

My plan is to grow fewer plants and leave a larger distance between them and see how that works. I have planted mine much closer than the OK experts recommend.

This is my plan also, this year I had 50 Clemson Spineless planted in 2 rows but only 8-12" apart in the rows. Each plant produced 15-20 pods for a total of 800-1000 pods. Next year I plan to plant about 35 Clemson Spineless but space them 18" apart. With the Stewarts Zeebest I plan on planting a 'hedgerow' about 10' from the garden along the east and north sides of the garden, probably 11 plants spaced 5' apart. If the SZ produce only 100 pods per plant that with the CS should produce double what I harvested this year and if the SZ produce what is claimed then possibly harvest 4X this year. As I've said before, me and Peg are a couple of okra hogs!

Keith

George,

If I can find the old issue of Texas Gardener magazine, I'll photocopy the article and send it to you. It was very interesting.

I remember when George Stewart passed away in the ....hmmm...I guess the first half of the 2000s. I read about it either in a Texas newspaper or Texas gardening magazine and my first reaction was "Wow, I didn't know he was stil alive!". Mrs. Stewart passed away more recently---in January 2006. Houston writer Chronicle writer Kathy Huber wrote a beautiful story/obituary about her that appeared in The Houston Chronicle. I'll see if I can find it and link it. It was just a marvelous tribute to a marvelous woman.

Keith,

You can't have too much okra. It just isn't possible.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Mary Stewart's Obit--What A Fascinating Life!

Dawn & All,
Wow, what some okra tales. I enjoyed the story about their sticktuitivness. 9 years, now thats what I call dedication. The pods that I saved from this particular vine, are not all good, with some shriveled seeds etc. I have labeled them LGV Special 73.
What I did not relate in my story was that the vine that held these numerous pods was bigger around and bushier than the normal La green velvet. The majority of the LGV that I have is pretty tall and spindley.
Good conversation with you all.
Best of Luck to All
Bill

Carol,

"My plan is to grow fewer plants and leave a larger distance between them and see how that works. I have planted mine much closer than the OK experts recommend."

Wanna borrow my ruler?

OK, I deserve that seedmama! Maybe I need to borrow your yardstick for this one. You just know I'm going to measure, don't you?

As I was typing this, I could just see you out there with your ruler and your paper plates. You probably have the most manicured landscape around, but it still funny to me since I am so hap-hazard with planting. At least we entertain each other.

I posted this in the First Okra thread but apparently that thread has made the GW trashcan.

Last night we had the first mess of frozen okra I put up on August 9th using the oven blanch method that Dawn suggested. I was very pleased with the taste, just like fresh but it fried up a little different than fresh or even the Stillwell frozen. I always fry okra very hot and did so last night but it seemed to be just soaking up the cooking oil. When it finally got crispy looking it was actually extra crispy, not burned but extra crispy. I've got 5 more bags to last me until the end of next July.

Keith

I could eat Okra raw, boiled, lightly browned to burned. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Susan

Susan, I am almost as bad as you, but I am not as fond of burned okra.

I picked out some seeds of my Little Lucy okra a few days ago. I had ordered 100 seeds early this year and planted 24 in the sweet potato bed. The sweet potatoes almost covered them and DW never saw them till I was digging the sweet potatoes. I had planned to through the rest of the seed away because I dont like bending over to pick anything. When my wife and son saw them, they wanted some this coming year. I still have a few of the orginal seed to plant in the spring. If the saved seed dont produce what they want, I will just spray paint them red. I dont plan on buying anymore okra seed at 10 cents each.

The price of seed at some companies is just ridiculous, isn't it? I decided not to pay nearly $5 a packet for Little Lucy and just go with another dwarf or dwarves from Baker Creek.

I don't much like bending over any more either, especially now since I've aged a bit. I tend to not stop at the bending part, but keep on rotating til I find myself on my head! :o Has something to do with balance, I'm told, and I have fond memories of it being something I used to be able to manage - balance.

I now employ the use of a gardening bench so I can get down on the ground and get up again without so much as a wince.

Susan

I just got some zee best okra seed from a friend and want to plant seeds in a container. Any suggestions?

Sewart's Zeebest is a huge plant. I wouldn't try to put it in a container any smaller than a whiskey half-barrel. You probably could grow it in something smaller, but it wouldn't produce as well as it normally would.

'HEAVY HITTER' out performs 'Zee Best' in production trials, and is derived from Clemson Spineless seed, so it retains the same, tender, spineless, pods as the parent variety. 'Heavy hitter' is currently under seed increase for very limited distribution in 2013. In research trials 'Heavy Hitter' has put on over 60 branches and produced nearly 300 tender pods in one season. It currently holds the Oklahoma State Record for heavy production. The owner of this Certified organic variety reports picking 22 tender pods per day, from just one plant.

I would like to have some of that seed when it becomes available for sale. Who will have it?

Carol,
I just dug up this older thread. the poster who mentioned Heavy Hitter is Ron Cook, who also developed the variety. He lives only a couple of miles from me. I also know that his Internet is pretty limited, as he has only dial up.
I can get you his contact info if you're still interested. I know he has MANY POUNDS of seed and loves to see others grow it.
I'm going to paste in a link to an account of how he developed the variety. It's fascinating and tells me, both more about the genetics of this branching trait and how to continue improving Stewarts Zeebest.

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Heavy Hitter Okra

George;

He doesn't seem to active on any of the internet sites where he's posted. I'd like to have the Heavy Hitter and also the Zeebest.

Can you help me buy some from Ron?

Will you be supplying Baker Creek with Zeebest this year, too?

Thanks
bon

Bon thanks to help from George I was able to contact Ron and he supplied me with plenty of seed. If you are unable to contact him please let me know and I have extra and would be glad to send you some. I'm saving Stewart's Zeebest seed now. I may have extra. I will need to wait and see after I get it saved. I'm also saving seeds from Grandpa Kurtz's. A high yielding branching Cowhorn type. At last count I had picked over 60 pods from it. Have picked several since I quit counting and it is continuing to produce although many of the varieties have quit with the cooler weather. Jay

Well, there you go Bon. One way or another we'll be sure you get some of both. I have fewer seed of Stewarts Zeebest than usual. But I could help you if all else failed. Will pm you Ron's e-mail, as he does better with e-mail than phone. He doesn't have a cell phone, and is out in the field a lot. He seems to check his e-mail at least every other day.

By the way, just for the record. I supplied seed of Stewarts Zeebest to Merlyn Niedhams, who trialed it and sent it on to Baker Creek. They never requested any more seed from me. I assume they grow it out for themselves.

George

Thank you, gentlemen. Just reading about them made me hungry.

is out in the field a lot

That's what i probably figured!

bon

George, I am indeed interested.

December 20, 2014
If anyone needs Heavy Hitter seeds contact me: fourteenmilecreek@yahoo.com

I have quite a few that I harvested in October 2014.

I also have lots of Zee Best seeds.

I don't know if anyone is interested but has anyone looked up the origin of Louisiana Green Velvet Pod okra?
It was developed for Campbell's Soup Co. by L.S.U. to go into their canned Gumbo & soup back during the early 50's. Louisiana Green Velvet Pod has some interesting make up. It has Clemson Spineless, Cow horn & Mammoth Green Pod among a few others. It was developed to stay tender longer than existing types so that Campbell's could have a longer harvesting time.
Though some like Clemson Spineless & Stewarts Zeebest It is hard to beat Louisiana Green Velvet Pod. As it produces well and will stay tender while other okra types tend to get tough while still very short. But I am a fan of Louisiana Green Pod Okra.

I grew Green Velvet last year and enjoyed the fact that it stays tender longer. My problem was that I didn't have enough plants, so I would wait to pick till I had enough to use. It went good in stir fry, though, with some other "not enough for a meal" items.

Green Velvet can be planted 2- 3 ft. apart in the row as it will branch out like Stewarts Zee Best. One plant can make several pods at one time so that you don't have to have a lot of plants to make a good mess of okra. Going around the country I notice most gardens have the okra planted close together like beans or something, 8-12 inches apart. Some may not like it to branch out so wide. To each his own.

Sent you an email about the heavy hitter okra seeds! I have been itching to try these....