I am in the south us and the most common variety is clemson spinless. The center is filled with seeds. I have no idea what would grow well in Japan. Usually my okra would be over six feet high but this year some are still only a foot and others are four feet tall. This year all of mine are single branch like you describe, but I have occasionally seen at least one branch. And yes, each plant usually produces just two to four per week I think.

I grow okra here in the North - Canada. Like Chas stated above, the one most commonly grown here is Clemson spineless. My plants are also usually one stem and not more than about 18 inches high. Last year I tried a new variety - Burgundy - which produces very tall plants (3-4 feet) and very large fruit. They are burgundy but turn green when cooked. I got the seeds from T&M, don't know if they're available to you. I have also tried Cajun - smaller plant, smaller fruit but don't remember where I got the seed.

It will grow further up on the stem amd most varieties branch into a shrub form especially if topped. It does like hot humid weather, so I am not sure how it would perform in the Tokyo area. I would expect it to do well in Kyushu or Okinawa. It can be grown in cool climates but smaller plants and less yield. Lady finger is a Japanese variety and there are numerous Chinese varieties that may be available to you. Sakata is a Japanese seed developer with a large presence in North America, thier top okra is sold as Jambalya in the USA. Takii is also a major player in North America but I don't know if they produce okra seeds.

Thanks everyone, now I know what to expect. They look sort of spindly, but maybe that's right! Do they fruit again in the same place, or one node further up?

Tokyo is HOT and HUMID!!!!! Today is about 95F and 80% humidity and will remain so for nearly the next two months !!

I'm going to buy online, and don't really want Japanese varieties. northener on -- did the cajun taste good?

farmerdill -- at what point should I top them?

chas045 -- do the clemson spineless taste good?

As I have only three plants, I am obviously not going to get a big harvest this year!! A couple of weeks ago I planted some more seed -- amazingly they were up in three days! They really do seem to like hot weather! it's probably too late to expect any fruit :-(

The Japanese love slimy food! They have a special word for it -- nebari.

Thanks everyone for the input!

ashita

Let me also suggest "Emerald". I tried it last year and loved it. The pods can get very big and long and don't get tough and woody. I had tried Clemson before, but what I didn't like about it was that if you didn't pick the pods when they were small. they would become very tough, and inedible.
I had 6 "Emerald" plants last year, and had more than enough okra for our family.
By the end of the season, my plants were huge, about 6-7 feet tall, and almost looked like they were small trees, because the main trunk had become so thick!

I am surprised that okra is 18 inches at this point in Tokyo, which is a warmer locale than, say, Atlanta, and probably closer to Gulf of Mexico weather. Here in Michigan daily highs are in the 70s, often overcast/rainy, yet my okra is also 18 inches with a couple of buds.

Where are they planted? Outside or in containers? Okra can be dwarfed if the container it's growing in is too small. It is quite intolerant of growing in restricted spaces (more so than other garden vegetables). Are they in full sun?
I've heard that Cowhorn is a productive variety in hot climates.

There are lots of varieties available in North America, whether they are available in Japan is the question. Emerald is also the best variety for me but any velvet okra is fairly good. Clemson is productive, but gets tough way too quick. I top at 4- 5 ft. I want a big plant but I am not going to use a stepladder to pick it in September.

ashita, I don't know the restrictions on shipping seed to Japan but I am sure that plenty of us would be glad to give it a try.

I don't think anyone would get fined or thrown in jail! :) They just might end up in the trash somewhere?

Edit: OOPS I misread farmer dills response! I though he said that it doesn't like heat and humidity! Sorry Farmer!

This post was edited by wertach on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 14:13

To answer your question, no they do not fruit in the same place twice. They fruit higher and higher as the plant gets taller. I live in the southern US, and I've had to use a ladder to harvest near the end of the season! (I wish I'd thought to top them - could have saved myself some trouble.)

Here in SoCal my okra plants are going crazy due to the hot and humid weather these days.To answer your question, they do branch and the flower/producing tips can go very high (See okra plant examples in video link).

Here is a link that might be useful: Okra growing tips

I never considered toping my okra but it sounds like a good idea. I did try some odd variety that was supposed to be soft when pods got big, but I didn't find that to be true. They grew to eight feet tall, but I was able to bend the stalk over and still pick from high up.

I'm sorry, I only really know clemson spinless. That is what I grow and what is always in the stores and the farmer's markets too. They taste like okra ;-]. I didn't realize that Japan was hot and humid. Thats what we have here and okra loves it that way.

Wow, thanks everyone for the wonderful responses.

ccabal -- thanks for the info on Emerald. It sounds like a good one to try.

glib and slimy okra (love your name) -- it's probably because they are in containers, and don't get quite enough sun. You would laugh at me if you could see. I have a pot of bush tomatoes and a pot of green peppers on wheels, and on days when I am home, I chase the sun with them. My tiny garden is shaded by a japanese plum tree and a Yuzu tree. The container is a very long and deep earthbox type kind, and the potting mix is the same as Mel Bartholomew's Square foot gardening. I did notice that the level of the earth has gone down a couple of inches since I planted them. There are three plants a foot apart.

farmer dill -- I will try Emerald, and if the plants do grow taller, I will top at four feet. Thanks.

wertach -- thank you so much for the offer. it is easy to buy on the internet and Japan lets seeds through with no problem, it seems. I found a site from the US called Seeds of India, which has several interesting okra varieties. i will probably try some from there, too. It would be fun to find a real heirloom African one!

annew21 -- that's exactly what I needed to know. Thank you.

djkj -- most useful video, thank you so much. I was very reassured as that is just what my plants look like. I had thought they were spindly and unhealthy, but I guess that's how they are. I have to say I haven't fertilised every three weeks, though. Whoops. Would a tomato fertiliser do?

chas045 -- yes, here in Tokyo we swelter in the heat and humidity from early July to roughly the end of September. The high temperatures continue till mid or late October, and I have hardly ever had a frost. So my climate sounds perfect for okra - just have to be careful about some of the other things!

Good luck with your Okra growing. Burgundy is another variety to try with a lovely red color. I have been growing it in containers in the hot and humid weather of Florida and it has produced more and more quickly than Clemson Spineless.

>>djkj -- most useful video, thank you so much. I was very reassured as that is just what my plants look like. I had thought they were spindly and unhealthy, but I guess that's how they are. I have to say I haven't fertilised every three weeks, though. Whoops. Would a tomato fertiliser do?
>>>>

Yes a tomato fertilizer does just fine. It will give the okra the nutrients it needs and will also help with the blooms!

ditto on farmerdill's comments. My experience with Clemson is the same. I too prefer Emerald.