Mama Payton's Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
Price: $2.95
SKU: 327011170 days — 'Mama Payton's' is an old family heirloom sent in to us by Brian Payton of Trion, Georgia. Brian told us that in his garden, the plants are productive, grow from six to twelve feet tall and produce huge, tasty pods.
The history of 'Mama Payton's' began when Brian's paternal grandparents, Arthur and Carrie Payton, were married in 1917 in Cherokee County, Alabama. Brian's father said that they were given the seed shortly after they were married, probably by other family members, and raised this one variety of okra exclusively; A tradition carried on in the Payton family ever since. In closing the letter that he sent to us, Brian said, "My grandmother passed away in January of 1997. One month before her 100th birthday. I think it would have made her happy that someone was interested [in the okra]."
Although here in Oregon, with our cooler and shorter growing season, the plants did not have the opportunity to develop to such heights. However, we can personally confirm that the plants are productive and the pods are spectacular. Our friend, David Pendergrass, grew out our seed stock for us on his farm in Tennessee where it grew six feet tall or larger. Introduced commercially by us in 2017 ... 100 years after Mr. and Mrs. Payton received the seeds. Each packet contains two grams, which is approximately 30 seeds.
