45-50 days. Widely known as Sultani in Turkey, Yalova Akköy okra is one of the most popular Turkish okra varieties. Vigorous plants produce long, light green pods which hardly gets fibrous at full length. Yalova Akköy isn’t as slimy as many other varieties, when pickled. However, we still recommend to soak sliced pods in lemon-water before cooking okra, to take the slime away.
Co-owner of Two Seeds in a Pod, Mehmet Öztan, typically harvests the pods the way his mom would buy the pods from the grocery store. Mehmet says: “I pick the long, slender pods for the best flavor and tenderness.”
Yalova Akköy okra was unanimously picked by 15 judges as the winner of a taste test among 60 okra varieties, conducted in 2018 by Chris Smith for his comprehensive book about okra, The Whole Okra: A Stem to Stem Celebration.
Our current seed stock was grown by Browntown Farms of Freeman, VA.
Commercially introduced by us in the U.S.
Phonetically pronounced: yell-oh-wa -ak-coy
- 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.
VERY FLAVORFUL okra. So good you can eat it raw with a slightly different scent than other okra varieties. Grew great and produced plenty. Plant was very tall with around 12″-18″ between nodes until it reached ~7′. Topped out around 10′ at season’s end here in the warm side of zone 7. Grew this patch in a spot that gets afternoon shade fast, so hoping the nodes tighten up when planted in a sunnier location. Only real complaint is this variety is not completely spineless, so watch your fingers.
Of the five varieties of Okra I have grown, this one is my favorite purchased from Two Seeds. This was a rough weather year for us in NC but these germinated and grew well. I will only grow one variety next year: Yalova Akkoy from Two Seeds in a Pod!
Excellent performance, vigorous plants and great tasting okras, like the ones I am used to eating in Turkey.
Same as above.