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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 11, 2018 20:54:10 GMT -5
I grew little Lucy F3 last year. I planted 2 seeds and both came up, but something ate one of the stalks, so I was left with one plant. My seeds were several years old, but germinated just fine. It was a beautiful little plant that grew to about 14" to 15" tall. Andrew on Idig gave me my start of F3. I will be growing out F4 this year to see what I get. I saved plenty of seeds to have a good stand this time. Somewhere on the wife's camera is a picture I will try to post.
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Post by Gianna on Jan 11, 2018 22:40:17 GMT -5
Did you say 'Okra'?
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 12, 2018 10:36:06 GMT -5
Oh, boy, here we go! For the new members, one of the few things we actually argue about on this forum is whether okra is great or disgusting. But it generally stays light-hearted, so it's okay. For the record, I think that okra is great!
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 12, 2018 10:45:04 GMT -5
Actually I grew okra for the first time last year. I grew 2 plants at hubby's request because he wanted to try it.
I was skeptical because the only time I ever had okra was cut up in a package of frozen vegetables that I used to make beef vegetable soup.
Now I don't like beef vegetable soup to begin with and that okra looked gross to me with those big gray seeds so I never tried it again.
Hubby really liked what I grew and I have to admit that it was pretty good. We tried it whole on the grill and also stir fried in olive oil and liked it both ways.
I will grow it again this year.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 12, 2018 11:08:07 GMT -5
Grilling is a great way to prepare okra - that was a good way to introduce yourself to it.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 12, 2018 11:54:18 GMT -5
One of the reasons I mentioned this Okra was because of its size. It would be so lovely in your flower garden. It would need to be placed in the front though because of its size. Flowers like marigolds will over shadow it.
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Post by Gianna on Jan 12, 2018 12:03:26 GMT -5
The image I posted was intended as a humorous play on the name 'Lucy'. But.. in truth I've had a prejudice against okra since, well, forever. And, also in truth, I'm not sure I've ever tasted it. How's that for a fact-free bias? But, it's still early in the season, I think okra flowers are pretty, Burpees has a 50% off sale on seeds this weekend (assuming they sell it), I like growing new things, ...so I thing I'll give okra a try.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 12, 2018 14:15:58 GMT -5
Gianna I knew you were joking. Great picture of America's best comedian
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 12, 2018 18:19:01 GMT -5
in truth I've had a prejudice against okra since, well, forever. And, also in truth, I'm not sure I've ever tasted it. How's that for a fact-free bias? I was pretty much the same way. You may be like me and end up liking it. I think that how it is cooked may make all of the difference and I also noticed that the smaller ones taste better but they get big FAST, like overnight so if you don't pick them today, then tomorrow they will be too big.
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Post by Gianna on Jan 12, 2018 23:45:26 GMT -5
brownrexx, in part because of what you said above is why I've decided to try it. I also really like the look of the plant, so I might plant it in front. Even if a passer-by recognizes what it is, I doubt they will want to swipe any.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 13, 2018 8:14:33 GMT -5
That's funny Gianna, I thought that the flowers would be pretty so I planted it in my flower garden. I liked the look of the plants too and the flowers were pretty but they were not quite as big as I expected and they only lasted one day. They reminded me of hibiscus flowers only smaller and they were yellow. Does anyone know if all okra flowers are yellow? I may try a new variety next year. The one I grew last year was very large. I may try Little Lucy or something smaller.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 13, 2018 10:08:12 GMT -5
brownrexxAs best as I remember, all the Okra I've tried has yellow flowers. I have seen different shades with reddish/purple veins though. I've heard of some that have light purple flowers, but I don't ever remember growing any.
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whistech
Pro Member
Posts: 300
Joined: April 2013
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Post by whistech on Jan 13, 2018 11:44:00 GMT -5
I love okra any way it is cooked. My favorite way is fried, but since I don't eat fried food much any more, i cut it up and coat it with corn meal like you would normally do when frying but I cook it in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. It's delicious! Grilling is wonderful also. Stewed tomatoes and okra with a little pepper vinegar is delicious and I could go on and on.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 13, 2018 13:46:32 GMT -5
brownrexx , I have only ever seen yellow flowers on okra. And yes, the flowers only last one day. Gianna , there are some okra varieties that have red stems and/or red leaf veins. Burgundy/Red Burgundy and Jing Orange come to mind as two really attractive ones that I have grown, especially Jing Orange. Their plants can be really pretty for most of the season. But I have to warn you that every okra I have tried defoliates from the bottom up in late season and ends up looking ratty. But they keep producing well for quite a while after they start to look bad. See the pictures that ragungardener posted here: notjusttomatoes.proboards.com/thread/3825/ways-make-okra-favorite?page=1&scrollTo=46833 I must be spacing my plants too close because my plants never get anywhere close to this size, but the mostly-defoliated look is the same as I see in late season. If appearance is important, and since you have warmth all year, you might be able to get around this by doing more than one planting per year, staggering your plantings so that you can rip out and replace older plants when they start to look ratty. So you have some plants that look nice and are producing at all times. Or you can plant your okra out of sight and let them go as long as they will produce. Those old multi-branched plants produce a lot more (more branches = more flowers = more pods) than young un-branched plants do.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 13, 2018 14:25:46 GMT -5
Geeze I never had any plants as huge or as ratty as the picture that Laura_in_FL , attached from ragungardener . Mine got big but not like that. Maybe our weather got cold before it could grow quite that big or that branched.
Laura_in_FL , do you have a favorite variety? I looked up what I grew last year and it was Clemson Spineless.
Gianna , I looked up the jing Orange that Laura_in_FL , mentioned and look how pretty it is. The description says that it grows in dry conditions too so that may be good for you.
I may give this one a try as well as a green one.
www.rohrerseeds.com/JING-ORANGE-OKRA-PKT/item/BC00995
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Post by Gianna on Jan 13, 2018 14:36:39 GMT -5
Even though it's not the prettiest, I think I'm going to order the green one. Mainly because I'm going to order other things I want more, from a seed company that only carries a green one. Shrug. As for flower color, I did a google image search, and color seems to run from pale yellow to white to pink. They are pretty. As for getting ratty, at times my whole yard is ratty, so a bush or two won't matter that much. But if my life-long prejudice is correct and they taste horrible ( ) I'll will pull them and plant more bacon seeds.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 13, 2018 14:45:02 GMT -5
Jing Orange actually did great for me last year. It's probably what I will grow next year, although I have seeds for some other varieties that I want to try. Another good one for production and tender pods is Emerald. As you can tell by the name, that's a green one. Burgundy/Red Burgundy is also good, but not quite as productive as Emerald for me.
Clemson Spineless was the first okra I grew, and the only one for a long time. But IMO it is not the best; the pods toughen up too fast and for me both Emerald and Jing Okra outproduce it.
The size/rattiness probably has a lot to do with climate. On the Gulf Coast we have a long growing season - okra can be planted in April (or maybe even late March in a warm year) and frost for me is usually late November or early December. So the plants have a long time to get big.
Not only is the growing season long, but fall is a long season. The defoliating for me starts sometime in September when temperatures start to cool, and goes from then until frost. So in September and especially October the plants start to look bad, but still produce well. Usually in November the nights are cool and the days are getting really short, so production does taper off and the plants look terrible for the last few weeks before they croak.
Up in PA you go from hot weather to first frost faster, don't you?
Seed saving is also factor. If you let any pods mature - especially in late summer or fall - the plant thinks it's done its job, and dies faster than plants that are kept consistently picked. Even if you have more okra than you can eat/process/give away sometimes, you still have to keep the plants picked.
YMMV.
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Post by Gianna on Jan 13, 2018 14:46:38 GMT -5
If appearance is important, and since you have warmth all year, you might be able to get around this by doing more than one planting per year, staggering your plantings so that you can rip out and replace older plants when they start to look ratty. So you have some plants that look nice and are producing at all times. I suspect planting it just once will be enough, lol. I don't believe it's planted locally that much. And I don't think it's just anti-slime bias. I am not sure it's going to be hot enough here for it to be successful. We have a nice, long, warm growing season (and nice not cold winters), but because we are close to the ocean, it rarely gets hot here. Into the 80s of course, but the 90s are not that common. So we shall see.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 13, 2018 14:53:44 GMT -5
What are your night temperatures like? Consistent 80s days is warm enough if the nights are warm.
There are some varieties that are more tolerant of cooler temperatures. Pentagreen okra is supposed to be more tolerant of lower temperatures than other okras, and is often recommended for people in marginal okra growing areas.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 13, 2018 14:58:27 GMT -5
Up in PA you go from hot weather to first frost faster, don't you? First frost for me is about October 15 and prior to that we have warm days and cool nights where it might be in the 60's. My Okra retained its leaves right up until first frost then it died. To avoid being killed by a spring frost I couldn't plant my okra outside until late in May so the growing season is relatively short. Our days get shorter in the Fall and it gets cooler so things slow down growing but it does not really get cold until after we get a few frosts in October and even then it may get warm again but the garden plants are already killed by the frost.
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Post by Gianna on Jan 13, 2018 15:28:18 GMT -5
What are your night temperatures like? Consistent 80s days is warm enough if the nights are warm. I'd guess 60s. I would think okra would do OK here. Maybe just not superlative - but that would be good enough. This property is in the low foothills and not immediately along the coast, so it's usually warmer. The rattlers like it.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 13, 2018 17:11:16 GMT -5
The rattlers like it, eh? Sounds like you don't want any of us to move in next to you.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 16, 2018 17:33:16 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL , Gianna , I was out with hubby today and we drove right by Rohrer's Seeds so on the way back from his errand I had him pull in to the seed store. I got their 2018 catalog and I picked up a pack of Jing Orange Okra seeds and a pack of Jambalaya Okra which they say is "an extra early maturing compact plant with small leaves and high yields of very uniform, shiny, dark green pods. Ideal for home gardens." You guys on this forum got me interested in growing okra!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 16, 2018 19:03:01 GMT -5
I also got Jing orange for this season, since it sounded really good. I didn't have good luck with Jambalaya many years ago, but hopefully it will do great for you!
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Post by Gianna on Jan 16, 2018 19:27:57 GMT -5
The rattlers like it, eh? Sounds like you don't want any of us to move in next to you. I see one about every 1-2 years - but I never know when so I am always watchful. I'm sure they are here more often than that. I just love living here, but they are the one thing I wish was not here. Well, drought, fires, mudslides and earthquakes too. Nothing is perfect.
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Post by Gianna on Jan 16, 2018 19:31:50 GMT -5
I do wish there was a nice seed store here as you have, brownrexx , I too got fooled enticed into ordering some okra seeds this past weekend. I ordered Burgundy in part because it's so pretty. We shall see.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 16, 2018 19:59:04 GMT -5
I do wish there was a nice seed store here as you have, brownrexx , I too got fooled enticed into ordering some okra seeds this past weekend. I ordered Burgundy in part because it's so pretty. We shall see. Burgandy is ok. I've grown it and several other Reds. When my uncle first moved out here to the farm many, many years ago, there was a wild Okra growing here. To me, it looks like Star of David, but since I haven't grown SOD, I can't compare. My uncle grew it and another unknown variety for many years. When I took over, I named them Charley's Long Pod and Charley's Short Pod. They both make me itch when I pick them, so long sleeves are a must. They aren't my favorite varieties, but still good in my opinion. This year, I'm wheeling and dealing for a new variety that promises 50 plus pods on each stalk. I'm intrigued. im still growing Little Lucy Too. I just love that little plant.
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Post by Gianna on Jan 16, 2018 20:54:22 GMT -5
The Burgundy is so pretty, if the okra eating experience is as horrible as I fully expect it to be, I can still appreciate it's beauty.
The Star of David (the second photo) is most distinctive looking. I've never seen an okra pod so deeply ribbed.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 16, 2018 21:25:13 GMT -5
GiannaThe bottom one is similar to his short pod.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 20, 2018 11:21:19 GMT -5
Yea!!! Jump up and down folks. I discovered who gave me this Okra. A fellow named Andrew on Idig.
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