Okra On My Mind

I had a packet of okra seeds that somebody had sent. They were a family heirloom. Unfortunately, none of them germinated. Now I'm stuck with no okra seeds.

Most of my trade goods are done for the season. But I'd gladly send an SASE to any kind soul who might have some extra OP seeds.

Thanks in advance.

I can send you some for a sase. I have a lot I grew and couldn't get to to harvest.

Brook, your post made me think of something - when I grew Okra in Oklahoma (it IS a state law that all Oklahoma gardeners must grow okra, LOL!), I was always advised - by neighbors and "experts" to plant them outdoors about the same time as the corn (after the ground warms....) Hmmmm.

I've never tried starting it indoors, or earlier than early summer. Does it get very large before you set it out, if you do? Does it mind being transplanted (As I recall, that was the one of the reasons given to not start it early; maybe it resents being transplanted? Not to mention it gets big in a hurry......) Just curious.

Brook Brook Brook...I declare...oy vey...mercy meee..."es-yetch nya-moosh levi nya pravda pordobe-nee" (don't know what that last part means, my ex-wife used to say it to me...don't really think she was tellin' me she loved me tho)...ANYWAY...I still have the white okra seed that came from the same family that had the cowpea seed I sent you. You're welcome to some. At this point in time only me and lacemosaic are gonna be growing it. Just say the word, you still have plenty of time to get it going!

I thought I'd remind you to always soak okra seeds in milk at least over night, I do it every year and my okra plants get at the very least 8' tall Just thought you'd like to know, oh and don't forget to rinse them off with warn water the next a.m. before planting. Ü
molly

Brook
I have an heirloom okra that I have been growing for about
6 years. It is short, multi-stemmed, easy to pick and very prolific. You are welcome to some seed .
Bud

Thanks Bud, Deanne, et als. My okra needs have been taken care of (see my Who'd of Thunk It thread on the heirlooms forum). Response, both here and from the seedexchange list, was overwhelming. More than 20 varieites were offered. I hadn't a clue there even were that many types.

go-vols: Almost everyone I know pre-starts okra for both pest resistence reasons, and to assure an adequate growing season. That might not be important on some of the early varieties (60-65 days). But standard varieites are late maturing---100 days or more.
Typically, my okra plants are about 8" tall or so when I transplant them.

Hmmm. Well, Brook - you and I must not know the same people, huh? We always direct seeded ours by mid-May, and started harvesting in July or August.....diseases never seemed to be a problem, but maybe ignorance was bliss!

At any rate, best wishes on your okra this year!

Yep, Go Vols, that is the way we do it too. Okra won't do well until it gets hot. We have never had to soak ours either. We have never had any trouble having a long season for producing . It grows rapidly. We still raise okra and tomatoes. That is it as far as food plants. Don't think we could ever do without those two vegetables in the garden to keep the plants and birds and butterflies company.

Hey, neighbor!

To tell the truth, when we got married (18 years ago), the only way I would eat okra was pickled, and occasionally in gumbo. Fried okra made me gag. Stewed with tomatoes was unthinkable.

Something changed several years ago...I think it was when I was pregnant with our daughter (had all kinds of food cravings with her; none with her brothers.) At any rate, now I'm the one who's nibbling on any leftover okra in the serving bowl regardless of how it's fixed. I can eat a whole jar of pickled okra by myself (but I don't, at least not too often!)

Can't wait for gardening season to officially begin!

Hi go vols, We really should quit meeting like this. ha! I never know where (in which thread) you are going to show up. I didn't do well resisting the day lilies, by the way. I went way, way over what I told you. Oh well, at least I tried. Captain D's has good fried okra that I always get instead of the french fries, by the way. When we were in Hawaii on the island of Kauai, we met a couple there from TN. They owned the restaurant where we ate. They said that they had a garden and grew a lot of their own vegetables. One of the big disappointments to them was the fact that they couldn't grow okra there. They loved fresh okra and missed it badly but never were successful at growing it. Bye, See you in another thread somewhere. ha!

I am trying to find some white okra seeds called White Lightening created by Hastings from their White Velvet (the White Velvet is a pale green, and available all over the internet) - who then apparently sold them to Parks who then apparently sold them to White Flower Farms. I want them for an uncle who is in his 80's and thinks he would like to try them. I contacted Hastings in Atlanta - they are a Garden Center now. I contacted Parks and they have no record of them. I contacted White Flower Farms, but have had no response from them yet.

Thank you so much for your help. BBWCHATT@aol.com