Bhindi(Okra) Albana Red variety

Some time back I had got these Albana-Red Okra (bhindi) seeds from Dept of horticulture (DoH), hulimavu.

I also had got few local bhindi seeds bought from from our native, Puri, Orissa bought by my mom.

Both were sowed around same time (Don’t exactly remember the dates – I need to be more meticulous in noting them).

Now both the varities have started producing.

However, there is a huge difference in the size of produce between these two variety.

In fact the produce from Albana-Red variety almost looks surreal with their double the normal circumference and half the length of normal bhindi’s size we get in indian markets.

Check out the pics here: (Pen thrown in just to give a comparative measurement)

Okra Albana Red

Okra Local Indian variety

I feel the difference in size hasn’t come out that well in these pics because the local Indian variety pic is more of a close-up view than the Albana-Red variety. But believe me the Albana-Red is actually almost double the size of local Indian variety.

One problem with this unusual size of Red-Albana is, in deciding when they are ready for harvest. Bhindi is one vegetable which tests best when it’s young, once they grow old they don’t taste well.

Guess I will have to do some field tests (eating them raw when in the garden-field) to find out how they taste and when the harvest can happen.

Otherwise the fruit setting is good in my opninion. One plant ready to produce around 10 bhindi’s and I have roughly 10 plants in a patch of 2×4 sft.