Çiçek, meaning flower in Turkish, is a traditional okra variety from Amasya, Turkey. In Anatolia, seed keepers usually don’t name seeds, and when they do, they either reference the locality of the seed or they refer to a typical trait of the seed. Pods are best when harvested at flower stage, hence the name.
Small pods are tender and flavorful, and a staple ingredient in Konya’s famous okra soup made with lamb. Çiçek is a very productive mid-season okra.
Packet has min. 30 seeds
Commercially introduced by us in the U.S.
Phonetically pronounced: chee-check
- Abelmoschus esculentus
- 8-12 hrs
- Planting depth: 1/2-1″
- Sprouts in 10-14 days
- Ideal growing temperature: 75-90F
- Plant spacing: 18″
- Frost hardy: No
- Growth habit: Upright growth with branches that grow away from the stem
- Growing tips: Soak okra seeds overnight in water. Plant seeds next day indoors in seedling trays or small seedling pots with seed starting soil that has essential nutrients in it, 3-4 weeks prior to last frost. Keep the soil moist for quick germination. Make sure to keep the young okra seedlings under good light to have strong plants with sturdy, healthy stems and leaves. Transplant after last frost in well-drained, fertile soil enrichened with compost and other amendments. Feed your okra plants with liquid fertilizer once every two weeks. Water regularly especially in flower stage. Mulch and always water at plant base to minimize disease. Some okra varieties are taller than others and may need to be tied to a stake so that fruits don’t touch soil and rot. Alternatively, you can also direct-seed after last frost in spring.
Deborah Reichman (verified owner) –
This is a wonderful, productive okra.
K H. (verified owner) –
Despite many factors against me;
a growing season with too much rain, initially,
not enough sun,
lack of rain later in the season,
not getting seedlings planted in field until late,
I had a good harvest.
Due to some of the above factors, plants had to be staked but eventually were ale to hold their own. Had to harvest every other day.
Sarah E. (verified owner) –
It flowered and was healthy except for aphids but it didnt really damage the plant. But the peculiar part was it just started flowering in late October, I planted in end of May so it had plenty of time to mature and flower earlier, i am not sure whether it is me, the weather or the type of okra that caused it to produce so late.