Commercially introduced by us in the U.S.
Phonetically pronounced: yell-oh-wa -ak-coy bamya tohumu
Widely known as Sultani among growers, Yalova Akköy is one of the most popular Turkish okra varieties. Vigorous plants produce long, light green pods in 45-50 days. Pods hardly get fibrous, and are not as slimy as most other varieties, when pickled. If you want to make a meal out of okra, we also recommend you to soak the sliced pods in lemon-water before cooking, to take the slime away.
Co-owner 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.”
This okra was unanimously picked by all 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.
Many thanks to folks, specifically Leah Smith, at Sow True Seed for making it possible to have substantial seed stock grown for this okra so that we can offer it in our catalog.
Our current seed stock was grown by Browntown Farms of Freeman, VA.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
I gifted these seeds to a friend in the Norfolk Virginia Area in the spring of 2021. He said the germination rate was 100% and that the okra flavor and productivity was excellent.
Sierra Casselman (verified owner) –
Didn’t grow – I ran out of room. Will try next year.
Deborah Reichman (verified owner) –
This was my second year growing this variety of okra. It is so productive and the plants grew to over 12 feet tall. I hope Yalova Akkoy, as well as the other two Turkish okras, continues to be offered every year.
Victor D. (verified owner) –
Planted this a bit too late, but they did okay. I liked the taste and that they were very easy to pick by hand. They break nicely at the stem.
Peter M. (verified owner) –
Performed very similar to the red one i also ordered. Durable variety, moderately productive, tasty & tender even when long.
Nikki (verified owner) –
Very prolific and tasty. Be prepared, they get super tall.
K H. (verified owner) –
Not overly productive for me, but this was a challenging year in SW CT – overly hot, humid and rainy – many crops suffered for a lack of sun and nutrient loss from too much water. Taste wise, I liked these alot – pods are skinnier than Bradford Family variety that I usually grow. Good tasting and definetly less slimey! Will grow these again!
Janey –
So tall we have trouble picking. Also lost numerous trunks breaking off from storm winds, which we’ve never experienced before.
charles barnabas (verified owner) –
yalova okkoy okra did not come up no harves not any okra,also Ale baba water melon from Iraq seed no fruth
chance2012 (store manager) –
Hello Charles. We test all of our seeds for germination every fall before we re-offer the seeds for the following season. Germination rates for Yalova Akköy has been consistently more than %94 last two years. Also, we don’t offer the watermelon you mention in your comment.
Courtney Archer (verified owner) –
They are absolutely delicious. I didn’t get them planted early enough for a long harvest, but what I have been able to harvest are fantastic.
Gerald K Ashby (verified owner) –
Featured Review
I planted 7 varieties of Okra this year and Yalova Akkoy is the winner for 100% germination and initial growth of the plantings. Shown here after thinning. Western NC by the Blue Ridge Parkway, elevation 2300′
SHERYL HUIETT (verified owner) –
The seeds germinated OK but did not produce any okra. The plants grew and were comparable to the other okra plants growing around it. I’m guessing and hoping that an earlier start in the spring time will produce the results I’m looking for. I’m in zone 7B, Central Arkansas.
Gerald (verified owner) –
I live in Western NC, 2400′ elevation. My soil is good but not great, with a fair amount of clay. I grew 5 kinds of okra last year and by far Yalova; best germination, tallest!! and longest bearing of the 5. Good non-fibrous texture.
Bob (verified owner) –
Same as above.
Pankaj (verified owner) –