Okra Seeds – Whidby White

HEIRLOOM. “White” okra varieties were once favorites across the South, but fell out of favor with the advent of industrial agriculture, and many were lost. Whidby White was once one of these lost varieties, but has been recovered thanks to the work of the Seed Savers Exchange, Chris Smith of the Utopian Seed Project, and a whole community of seed stewards who helped bring it back!

Whidby White okra seed was given to the Seed Savers Exchange in the mid 1980s by Mrs. HL Jarrard of Oakwood, GA, who said the variety had been kept by her family since the mid-1800s. Seed Savers Exchange gave a sample to Chris Smith in 2018 for restoration, as it was reported that the variety had suffered from crossing or genetic drift causing variation in pod colors and shapes. Over the years since, Chris has worked to select the variety back to its original type, and in 2021, Sow True Seed sponsored a community seed selection project where Chris led a group of volunteer seed stewards in selecting the palest pods. As a result, Whidby White Okra now quite reliably produces the short, pale, deeply ridged, spineless pods it was originally known for. Try it out in your garden and be a part of reviving Southern okra history!

6 gram packet contains a minimum of 70 seeds.

SMALL FARM GROWN by the Appalachian Seed Growers Collective. A portion of proceeds from each packet benefits the Collective’s efforts to increase seed production capacity in Southern Appalachia and breed varieties that thrive in our region.