Of Luffa & Vine Okra

I’m always looking for strange and interesting varieties of vegetables that will grow in our climate.

I like to research what people grow and eat in other parts of the world that have a similar climate to Texas. Sometimes, though, you can find ‘new’varieties by looking into the past.

For whatever reason, some vegetables fall out of fashion. Major seed companies, which follow the trends of supply and demand, stop offering varieties that don’t sell. Every once in a while, a once-popular vegetable might become nearly forgotten.

Such is the case of vine okra, a.k.a. ‘climbing okra’ or ‘Chinese okra’ ( Luffa acutangula).

It is a very close relative to the luffa gourd ( Luffa cylindrica), which is typically grown for the useful sponges that can be made from its dried fruit. Despite the name, vine okra has no relation to the okra commonly grown throughout the southern United States ( Abelmoschus esculentus). From what I understand, vine okra used to be commonly grown in southern gardens. At some point it fell out of favor in the U.S. But it’s always been popular throughout Asia, especially in China and Thailand.

You can buy vine okra seeds from a few suppliers. One of them is Baker Creek Seed Co. ( rareseeds.com). I am not growing any vine okra right now, but I did plant some luffa gourds a little over a month ago. The immature luffa fruit supposedly taste just like vine okra, which is said to

See taste like squash or zucchini. They can be prepared in the same way – sauteed, battered and fried, grilled – however you like it.

I planted the luffa gourds from seed along half of one side of a cattle panel arch trellis. I planted cucumbers along the rest of the trellis. The luffa vines are starting to take over. I may have to trim the luffa plants to give the cucumbers some space. Needless to say, they are vigorous climbers.

While the cucumbers have been fruiting for a few weeks, the luffa gourds have only begun to flower this week. But the flowers are spectacular. If you’re not interested in growing luffas for food or for sponges, you might want to grow them for their beautiful, dark green foliage and gigantic yellow flowers.