I need more Okra!

[journey11]

My patch of okra has been a big disappointment this year. I started them indoors to get a jump start and they've been blooming since about 3 weeks ago, but I've barely harvested a handful from them. "Stelley" is the variety I planted.

I am totally craving hot pickled okra right now. Every year I try to grow enough to put up lots of it, but it never happens. Something either wipes out my okra (some kind of disease that yellows the leaves) or they just don't produce like I need them too.

Is there a super productive okra variety out there someone can recommend? Or is it my weather...maybe not hot enough? I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I need lots of okra to bother making pickles. Maybe I'm not planting enough?

 

[JimWWhite]

Mine was a total waste of time too. I've got this long 48'x4' bed blocked in with landscaping timbers that I've been trying to make into an area I can plant okra, corn and melons in but it's just not worked out for me. I think what I'm going to do is to bring in either some more landscaping timbers and build it up about a foot high and fill it in with our garden mix next year. Anyway, I do what I've always done in the past and that is to put two okra seeds in each compartment of an ice cube tray, freeze it and then plant them an inch deep. Only two of the thirty something plants came up. Now that's one thing I really love from the garden is fresh okra. But I guess it wasn't to be this year.

 

[journey11]

Mine was a total waste of time too. I've got this long 48'x4' bed blocked in with landscaping timbers that I've been trying to make into an area I can plant okra, corn and melons in but it's just not worked out for me. I think what I'm going to do is to bring in either some more landscaping timbers and build it up about a foot high and fill it in with our garden mix next year. Anyway, I do what I've always done in the past and that is to put two okra seeds in each compartment of an ice cube tray, freeze it and then plant them an inch deep. Only two of the thirty something plants came up. Now that's one thing I really love from the garden is fresh okra. But I guess it wasn't to be this year.

I'd never heard of freezing them and planting ice cubes. Sounds neat. Does that usually work really well for you?

I guess I'll have to hope that I can buy some at the farmer's market this year.

 

[seedcorn]

I feel better knowing I'm not the only one who has bad luck getting okra up. Saved seeds, 0 came up.

Then bought some, got about 1/2 a stand. I gave up and planted a few yellow squash there. Of course they came up and about 3 okra plants in same place. Tried transplanting but zero success. Dang okra! Love it fried with onions and peppers.

 

[baymule]

Next year I'll have enough room to plant okra!!! It grows like weeds here, but I haven't been able to grow any in a long time, so have to buy it. Can't wait to have long rows of OKRA!! What variety? Decisions, decisions.....

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Although okra usually does great for me, I didn't plant any this year. I'm sort of glad that I didn't, it hasn't even been warm enough for tomatoes to ripen so this year probably wouldn't be a good year for it. I do miss okra though, have to plant a lot of it next year.

Bay, Texas Hill Country!

 

[journey11]

Although okra usually does great for me, I didn't plant any this year. I'm sort of glad that I didn't, it hasn't even been warm enough for tomatoes to ripen so this year probably wouldn't be a good year for it. I do miss okra though, have to plant a lot of it next year.

Bay, Texas Hill Country!

That's what I was wondering, actually. I've been waiting forever on the tomatoes too it seems. This has been an unusually cold summer for us here as well. Okra must need some southern heat to do well.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

I didn't mention that the humidity here has been much higher than usual. (I live in a valley with a lot of wetland, so there's more cold and humidity here than in surrounding area's already.) We've had heavy fog for most mornings since the last frost. I bet that the weather that we've been having here can be likened to that of the Pacific Northwest during curtain times of the year. We've been having temperatures now (in the middle of summer) that we'd normally get in early November. All of my cold weather crops are still around and producing (in July!) while the majority of my warm weather crops fail.

So yes, it's been a very abnormal year for us. I wonder what winter's going to bring?

To avoid getting too off-topic, I'll be planting many different varieties of okra next year for a breeding project. Want to breed something that's able to adapt and is very reliable in my climate.

 

[journey11]

I'll be looking forward to your results, SeedO. Our seasons are very similar.

I'm trying hard not to think about winter yet! DH brought home the first load of firewood yesterday. Better not be a grasshopper, I guess.

 

[baymule]

@TheSeedObsesser Hill Country Okra? Tell me more...... Have always planted Cowhorn, Clemson Spineless or Louisiana Green Velvet, but ready to step out and diversify into new varieties!