Anyone any experience of growing okra? I planted it kind of at random, as
it was lying around and I'd never grown it before. Never tasted it either,
actually.

I currently have 2 plants (I think I sold some at the summer fete) in the
greenhouse, still in quite small pots - both about 6" tall atm, but one has
a bud that may be a flower but looking again today looks more like it may be
a new leaf bud.

So ... what shall I do with them now?

--

In article , wrote:
Anyone any experience of growing okra? I planted it kind of at random, as
it was lying around and I'd never grown it before. Never tasted it either,
actually.

I was weaned onto it :-)

I currently have 2 plants (I think I sold some at the summer fete) in the
greenhouse, still in quite small pots - both about 6" tall atm, but one has
a bud that may be a flower but looking again today looks more like it may be
a new leaf bud.

So ... what shall I do with them now?

Treat them much like tomatoes, and pick the pods young - IF you get
any! I have never succeeded here, though have tried a few times.
They have a fairly attractive yellow flower.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

vicky wrote
Anyone any experience of growing okra? I planted it kind of at random, as
it was lying around and I'd never grown it before. Never tasted it
either,
actually.

I currently have 2 plants (I think I sold some at the summer fete) in the
greenhouse, still in quite small pots - both about 6" tall atm, but one
has
a bud that may be a flower but looking again today looks more like it may
be
a new leaf bud.

So ... what shall I do with them now?

I hate to say it but compost them is my suggestion. Loving Okra as we do (
done Indian style) I tried growing a bed of it years ago in a hot summer and
they still didn't grow, got a couple of fruit but you need a lot more than
that for a meal and they were not nice anyway, too old. It's just not hot
enough or bright enough in the UK from what I saw, the plants just sulk
here.
Out where it's grown it can be quite a tall plant, I've seen pickers
disappear in the field it was so tall.
As Nick says, nice flowers.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

You may have had it as "bhindi" at an Indian restaurant

Keep the warm, plenty of water, feed with tomato feed. They're at the less hardy end of things that we grow in the greenhouse - in a spectrum going from tomatoes, chillis, cucumbers, sweet peppers, aubergines,, they're beyond aubergines. But on the plus side, you don't need to ripen them - indeed, you should pick them young and small because if you leave them too long they go stringy.

I've grown them before on a sunny widowsill. I'm now trying again after many years gap, in a greenhouse. My plants are about 9-12 inches tall, not flowering yet, but there's a long while to go before the end of summer.

To be on the safe side,, I'd consider hand pollination should you be lucky enough to get two flowers out at the same time ;-)

Bob Hobden wrote:
So ... what shall I do with them now?

I hate to say it but compost them is my suggestion. Loving Okra as we do (
done Indian style) I tried growing a bed of it years ago in a hot summer and
they still didn't grow, got a couple of fruit but you need a lot more than
that for a meal and they were not nice anyway, too old. It's just not hot
enough or bright enough in the UK from what I saw, the plants just sulk
here.
Out where it's grown it can be quite a tall plant, I've seen pickers
disappear in the field it was so tall.
As Nick says, nice flowers.

Heh. I'll not hold any hope out for them, then. But mostly I'm growing
them for the fun of growing something new, not to get a crop particularly.
It's like the melon plants I grew last year - I think we had 6 or 7 plants,
and we got 2.5 melons in total. They were lovely, actually, but the effort
vs produce ratio!

kay wrote:
Anyone any experience of growing okra? I planted it kind of at random,
as it was lying around and I'd never grown it before. Never tasted it
either, actually.
You may have had it as "bhindi" at an Indian restaurant

I haven't. I don't like Indian food, and have never been to an Indian
restaurant, except for one time walking through Rusholme one night after a
few beers and desperately needing the toilet.

So ... what shall I do with them now?
Keep the warm, plenty of water, feed with tomato feed.

Which reminds me, really behind on feeding the tomatoes this year!

They're at the
less hardy end of things that we grow in the greenhouse - in a spectrum
going from tomatoes, chillis, cucumbers, sweet peppers, aubergines,,
they're beyond aubergines. But on the plus side, you don't need to ripen
them - indeed, you should pick them young and small because if you leave
them too long they go stringy.

ok. We had a lot of success with aubergines last year, so I'm thinking the
greenhouse should work fine.

I've grown them before on a sunny widowsill. I'm now trying again after
many years gap, in a greenhouse. My plants are about 9-12 inches tall,
not flowering yet, but there's a long while to go before the end of
summer.

To be on the safe side,, I'd consider hand pollination should you be
lucky enough to get two flowers out at the same time ;-)

Will do. Thank you. :-)

I've grown them in the past in a tall (£ft ) cold frame
Flowers like a small Hibiscus, well worth trying.
David Hill

wrote in message
...
Anyone any experience of growing okra? I planted it kind of at random, as
it was lying around and I'd never grown it before. Never tasted it
either,
actually.

I currently have 2 plants (I think I sold some at the summer fete) in the
greenhouse, still in quite small pots - both about 6" tall atm, but one
has
a bud that may be a flower but looking again today looks more like it may
be
a new leaf bud.

So ... what shall I do with them now?

--

I'm growing a new variety this year called Cajun Delight F1. It's been bred
for cooler climates. So far my plant is 1.5 foot tall and I've got some
small fruits on it.

When I was 11 years old I grew a plant in an unshaded greenhouse. It was the
best one I've ever grew. It was a good 3 or 4 foot tall with okra pods all
over it.

Racquel Darrian .(y)uk wrote:
So ... what shall I do with them now?

I'm growing a new variety this year called Cajun Delight F1. It's been bred
for cooler climates. So far my plant is 1.5 foot tall and I've got some
small fruits on it.

Oh, I think that may be what I had. I hadn't realised it was a specially
bred one. Mine is still weenie, but I've not given it much TLC so far.

On 18 July, 17:20, wrote:
Anyone any experience of growing okra? *I planted it kind of at random, as
it was lying around and I'd never grown it before. *Never tasted it either,
actually.

I currently have 2 plants (I think I sold some at the summer fete) in the
greenhouse, still in quite small pots - both about 6" tall atm, but one has
a bud that may be a flower but looking again today looks more like it may be
a new leaf bud.

So ... what shall I do with them now?

--

full hard sunlight. in a very hot place. The pods which come after the
hibiscus like yellow flowers (member of the ablemouschous family)
harvested when they are about as long as your finger to the first
middle joint. Any larger and it gets woody and you can only save the
seeds for next year. cut the caps off the top, dip into a beaten egg
with a little bit of water (half an egg shell of water to one egg) and
then rolled in corn meal. not flour. Fried in hot vegetable oil (not
smoking hot, that's too hot) until golden brown. The other way is to
cut up into little round pieces, cut up a ripe tomato and boil until
it's tender, or cut them up in a veggie soup. the "snottiness" goes
away with the acidity of the tomato. I grew up on okra thanks to the
African slaves sneaking seeds up here with them 300+ years ago. It's
considered a "Southern" vegetable. I like mine both ways. Not really
good raw, but better cooked. Excellent in soups. Makes a good
thickener and provides iron. Good flavor. Likes rain, good soil, and
heat. You could grow it against a wall that gets the harshest sunshine
you can get. Mine are just now setting flowers. If you don't have
pollinator's, a paint brush will do. I also have been searching for
the ornamental seeds of Ablemouschous. A red one that had short leaves
and dark pink/red flowers with soft short pods, and the taller more
aggressive ornamental Ablemouschous with very prickly stems and leaves
and pods after the huge yellow flowers with the burgundy throats that
grew to five foot tall. I liked the red shorter one's better. Strictly
ornamental were those two. If you get one that is a hybrid (I think
that one is called "spineless" it wouldn't mind the cooler
temperatures like the more prickly ones do. And prickly is the key
word here. If your's are happy, the stems will be itchy when you pick
the pods. Since they're the containers of seeds after the flowers, I
was always wondering if it was a fruit or a veggie. I have Red Clemson
okra that makes red pods, and the spineless green one. If I find my
extra package of seeds I can send you some, and just store the seeds
in a plastic zip baggie in your refridgerator until next year, start
them earlier by soaking them for an hour and then planting them three
times their size into good potting soil, and set them out after frost
is past. We have so much of it here, it's in the frozen vegetable
section of our grocery stores in both cut up pieces and whole. And you
can find pickled okra in the pickle section! I adore pickled okra! Not
slimey at all for those who don't like the slime of it.

Good luck!
maddie over in the Delta region of West Tennessee growing zone 7b
which is very very warm

madgardener wrote:
So ... what shall I do with them now?
full hard sunlight. in a very hot place. The pods which come after the

Turns out (I noticed today whilst perusing the greenhouse with the
greenhouse owner!!) we have 4 okras pods! I hadn;t noticed we had any
flowers!

wrote:
I currently have 2 plants (I think I sold some at the summer fete) in the
greenhouse, still in quite small pots - both about 6" tall atm, but one has
a bud that may be a flower but looking again today looks more like it may be
a new leaf bud.

So ... what shall I do with them now?

Hey, I have a harvest! I've picked my first pod. :-)
Now ... what shall I do with it??