Stewarts Zeebest

[macmex]

Back in the 90s I received seed to this variety, in a seed swap with a gardener from Louisiana. At the time, we were living and gardening in Hidalgo, Mexico, at an elevation of 5500'. Okra didn't like our cool nights. So I only managed to produce one pod for seed. I hung onto that seed, for something like 5 years, planting it again in 2002, in Jackson, NJ. There Stewarts Zeebest prospered. It has been the only okra I've grown since that time. It does even better in Oklahoma.

I'd have to look it up. But sometime around 2006 I sent seed of Stewarts Zeebest to Merlyn Niedhams (Not sure of the spelling) who trialed it and sent it on to Baker Creek Heirlooms. I also distributed a good many samples through the Seed Savers Exchange. This is a good variety.

I have concluded that the genes for branching are hiding in other varieties, and can be discovered and developed. Heavy Hitter is an example of this. Grandpa Kurtz's is a branching variety of Cowhorn.

Below are some pictures and excerpts from the Gardenweb Oklahoma Gardening Forum (great group by the way).



Stewarts Zeebest can have very long pods which are still tender. I have noticed, however, that they can go tough overnight, once picked.


Stewarts Zeebest Branching

Clippings:


forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/okgard/msg1220530426548.html?20

forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/okgard/msg0716541412491.html



RE: First Okra


Posted by okiedawn Z7 OK on
Mon, Aug 9, 10 at 21:37

Stewart's Zeebest was selected and save by the late George and Mary Stewart, who lived in Houston, Texas. In the May 2009 issue of TEXAS GARDENER magazine, the Stewarts and their okra were discussed in a sidebar that accompanied an article about okra. (I love this magazine and recommend it highly.) The author of the okra article and the sidebar article about the Stewarts is Patty Glenn Leander. She attempted to piece together as much as she could about the history of Stewart's Zeebest. The Stewart's daughter, Molly, told the author that her parents selected Stewart's Zeebest out of some 'Louisiana Green Velvet' they'd received from Joe Zeigler, who was a friend of the family.
In the Stewart's vegetable garden, Mr. Stewart noticed the 'Louisiana Green Velvet' had a strong, branching pattern and begin to refer to the plants as 'Stewart's Zeebest Bushy Okra'. Eventually, the name was shortened to Stewart's Zeebest. The Stewarts, when saving seed, relentlessly selected for heavy-bearing, bushy plants that produced tender pods. Many people find the pods are tender enough to eat even when they reach 8" or more in length.
In Mary Stewart's garden notes, she wrote down that the parent plant of the seed they had produced 28 branches and 243 pods on one plant. At the time she wrote those particular garden notes, they'd been selecting for the qualities they wanted and saving seed for 9 years.
It is a fascinating history, isn't it? It is my understanding that the Stewarts shared seed with many, many people over the years. I am assuming it was dispersed via Seed Savers Exchange (because I simply cannot imagine it was not, but I didn't pull the old yearbooks to see how far back it was listed in them) and now it also is available commercially via Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange as well as other places.
Dawn


RE: okra pods



Posted by okiedawn Z7 OK  on
Tue, Dec 14, 10 at 8:46
George,
I grew up in Texas where the Stewarts were well-known and highly revered in gardening circles, particularly among vegetable gardeners, and sometimes were featured in local newspaper and regional magazine articles. I knew who they were long before I'd ever heard of Stewart's Zeebest okra.
There's a regional gardening magazine called "Texas Gardener" that I still read regularly because gardening in Texas is not that different from gardening in Oklahoma, and in May 2009, the magazine's featured cover story was about okra.
In a sidebar that accompanied the okra article, Patty Leander, a Texas Master gardener, author and speaker, wrote about the Stewarts and Stewart's Zeebest Okra. During the latter years of their lives, the Stewarts befriended Ms. Leander and she considered them her gardening mentors. With info gleaned from them and their daughter, whose name I believe is Molly, Ms. Leander has pieced together the history of Stewart's Zeebest.
Back in the summer, we had a fairly long thread on okra and I repeated there some of what Patty Leander said about Stewart's Zeebest in the sidebar article. I'll link that thread to this one.
If "Texas Gardener" magazine maintained an online article archive, I'd link the article from the May 2009 issue, but they don't. Usually, their website only features articles from the most recent issue.
Dawn

[fourteenmilecreek]

George,

Great photo of the Zee Best, I can almost feel the Summer heat, just looking at that pod. It's a good representation of what's typical for that variety (long, slender, tender pods). Some folks refer to them as Lady Fingers, having grown Clemson varieties all my life, that name never made sense until I grew Zee Best and saw the pods were not ribbed, or short, and fat.

A picture is better than a thousand words. It lends well to your thread.

[fourteenmilecreek]

I've been surfing the web, checking okra seed availability, and seed prices today. What I found was that Reimer Seeds and Southern Exposure are to only two seed companies I could locate that offered Zee Best, but they were both currently out of stock.

I have thousands of Zee Best okra seeds on hand, fresh from the field, still in the pod.

If anyone needs any, email me at: [e-mail]

[glen]

George, I have a few ZeeBest sedes planted. The soil is poor and full of rocks and stones. I added some aged horsemanure to the soil before planting and gave them about 4 feet of space between plants. What is the average number of pods that you can normally expect and harvest from this variety? How much branching is normal or average on a Zeebest plant with this much space? We are in the dry season now and I originally said I was going to wait before planting but excitement got the best of me so I had to plant an experimental row. I did have some trouble getting the seed to germinate. Probably only a 50% or less germination rate. The sedes are probably not fresh. I noticed a 100% germination rate on heavy hitter sedes but I believe those are very fresh seed. Seedlings are now up and running but growing very slowly now. The wind and super hot sun is sucking the wáter right out of the soil now so I am having to wáter frequently as well. Don't expect the next drop of rain to occur until sometime in May. Also, does the Zeebest harvest last all the way to Winter? Or, do the plants get tired and just peter out after a certain period of time?

[glen]

Zeebest is an awesome variety of okra. I am growing it in the Republic of Panama and I do beleive I am the first person to try it. Performing exceptionally well in my extremely poor soil. The bushy feature of this plant is extremely helpful because it shades the pods. Sun is brutal here. It branches quickly however the branches don't branch. Heavy loads of okra on each branch. Super bushy. Big, blossom heads on each branch. This variety is doing well everywhere I have planted it in my yard. First Bloom, 42 days. First pod, 46 days. A very good variety if you like smooth skinned, long pods. Well, it performs in my climate very well that is for sure. I won't know how long my picking season will be until later but from the looks of these plants now, I suspect I will have a lot of okra to pick for the next several months.

[macmex]

Well, as of June 9, 2017, I have all of my Stewarts Zeebest plants up and working on their first or second set of true leaves. I put in 14 hills, which is plenty for my family's needs and, hopefully, enough for some selection for improved seed. Last week I planted 4 hills of the African okra which Glen is working on, in Panama. They should be up soon. Conditions have been perfect for them.

I say "hills" simply because I make a small depression in the soil and drop a couple seeds into it. That way, I guarantee that I get at least one plant. Later, I weed out all but the strongest plant. In gardening lingo, "hill" often refers to planting in "a spot" as opposed to "in a row."

George

[glen]

Zeebest okra is an awesome variety of okra. One of these days I am going to plant a few again. I still have the seeds in the freezer. George, do you plan on growing a few African okra like you did last year?

[macmex]

Yes. In fact I plan on growing more of it this year. It was super last year. I've noticed that the African hybrid continues with vigorous production, until killed by frost. Zeebart, and most other okra's I know, slow way down when nights cool down, but the African hybrid doesn't seem to do so.

[glen]

Hybrid African okra is a different species of okra. Its complimentary to Zeebest okra, or any A esculentus. Every year we grow this new hybrid will only make the new variety better. Save sedes and share them with your friends. In a few more years this variety will be totally stabilized also. Very exciting.

[rdback]

George,

Here's a link to an article written by Patty Leander, the master gardener OkieDawn references in her second GW post above. Not sure you've read it, but it adds to the history of Stewarts Zeebest.

Enjoy.

P.S. Forgot to say Mary Stewart's Okra & Tomatoes recipe is included in the article. Looks good!

[macmex]

Thanks Rick! I know I've seen that article before, but I would not have known how to find it. That's an outstanding contribution to this thread.

[heavyhitterokra]

Thanks, for sharing the article, Rick. That was a really good read.  I copied part of it, and posted the Okra and Tomato Recipe over to the Okra Recipe Page; with reference back to your post above.

[macmex]

I haven't checked in with news on my okra this year. It's doing alright. I got it in a bit earlier than I usually do, which is still a little late. The cool wet weather, early on, slowed it down a bit, but fortunately it remained healthy. I'm growing both AfricanX and Stewarts Zeebest this year. It seems that AfricanX handles cool and wet better than does Stewarts. Stewarts, however, once things got hot and dry, has been growing more vigorously.  Here's a photo of my very best plant. Both Stewarts Zeebest and AfricanX appear poised to start production within two weeks.

[macmex]

Sept 10, 2021

This has probably been the hardest gardening year of my life. The weather has been atypical and my health hasn't cooperated. I spend so much time taking care of myself that the garden suffers. Still, I'm encouraged with the results (for myself) and have plans for next growing season. I planted about 40' of Stewarts Zeebest this year (on June 21) and had our first picking on August 27, 67 days later. Harvest has been slow but steady, when I have time to pick. I'm leaving some of the first pods on the best plants in order to assure seed. I have all good plants this year. One or two are not quite up to size, but all are branching nicely. I believe the runts may have had something get to their roots at some point. Still, they are producing and look very good. Haven't had any plants which did not branch profusely.

Stewarts always beats AfricanX to first harvest. Apart from that, I am still quite fond of this variety.  

[macmex]

This year I planted both Stewart's Zeebest and AfricanX on June 17. Despite it being a hard year in many respects, both of these okras have chugged along pretty well. Last night I observed the first eatable sized pods on Stewart's Zeebest (63 days from seed). AfricanX, though smaller and shorter does not look to be more than a couple days behind. I think I'll have pods before the end of the week.


Here's a picture of the first Stewart's Zeebest pod I found in 2022. Well, not quite. I did have a volunteer plant come up and begin producing about a month ago. I've just been eating those pods, raw, as they come out.