Re: Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!!

**camprn** 5/10/2012, 5:13 pm

I have finally a few okra sprouts, I just let the seeds sit in water for 5 days... fingers crossed they do something besides die. Shocked

littlejo 5/10/2012, 11:36 pm

I didn't want to wait for the okra to germinate. Looked online and 1 site(didn't save url) said to soak seed in bleach for about 5 minutes, rinse, then plant. I put the seed in the bleach, then got worried and rinsed off real quick. Planted the seed on Sat. and they were up out the ground on Monday am!!

Jo

Nonna.PapaVino 6/8/2012, 12:14 am

After reading this post, and getting hungry for fresh okra, I bought and planted some seeds, of which 12 germinated. Western Oregon is not conducive to okra raising, but I reasoned: the greenhouse isn't full of plants during the "hottest" part of summer, could it raise okra? Thanks to idea posted on this forum, I bought 3 concrete mixing tubs, drilled drainage holes in bottoms, filled with Mel's Mix, and have planted tender melons and 8 okra sprouts. A week later, all are doing well. Yes, I know I'm in for an interesting time of trellising these plants, due to space considerations, but so far, so good. Wish me luck, and keep those recipes coming.

**Turan** 6/17/2012, 2:13 am

Here is a picture of my okra in a wall o water. It is still growing after transplanting, a step further than i ever got before. Laughing

Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 12-jun11

Here is the one that snapped and I splinted. It finished snapping when i was planting it. So I stuck it int he ground anywyas. It does not look good but that is a new baby leaf it has made.
Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 12-jun12

Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 12-jun12

**RoOsTeR** 6/17/2012, 10:26 am

You broke it! Shocked

I bought okra seed on a whim yesterday. I figured what the heck, it's been really warm and the seeds where cheap...guess we'll see Very Happy

**camprn** 6/17/2012, 10:28 am

I'm going to transplant my wee 2" okra plants today. Rooster, I had better success with sprouting the okra seed in a dish of water then planting vs. sowing seed into soil straight out of the package.

**RoOsTeR** 6/17/2012, 10:34 am

camprn wrote:I'm going to transplant my wee 2" okra plants today. Rooster, I had better success with sprouting the okra seed in a dish of water then planting vs. sowing seed into soil straight out of the package.

Really? The seed pack does say 14-21 days for germination Shocked

Details on how you started them Very Happy

An acquaintance in Dallas has said his okra is doing terrible this year. He's said only two have come up...

**camprn** 6/17/2012, 10:37 am

RoOsTeR wrote:
camprn wrote:I'm going to transplant my wee 2" okra plants today. Rooster, I had better success with sprouting the okra seed in a dish of water then planting vs. sowing seed into soil straight out of the package.

Really? The seed pack does say 14-21 days for germination
Details on how you started them

An acquaintance in Dallas has said his okra is doing terrible this year. He's said only two have come up...

I just put the seed in a shallow plastic container, a little bit of water and put it in a warm place and I think it only took about 3-5 days before I saw sprouts. Same as growing edible sprouts. Wink

Then I planted the sprouted ones.

**RoOsTeR** 6/17/2012, 10:40 am

camprn wrote:
RoOsTeR wrote:
camprn wrote:I'm going to transplant my wee 2" okra plants today. Rooster, I had better success with sprouting the okra seed in a dish of water then planting vs. sowing seed into soil straight out of the package.

Really? The seed pack does say 14-21 days for germination
Details on how you started them

An acquaintance in Dallas has said his okra is doing terrible this year. He's said only two have come up...
I just put the seed in a shallow plastic container, a little bit of water and put it in a warm place and I think it only took about 3-5 days before I saw sprouts. Same as growing edible sprouts. Then I planted the sprouted ones.

I'm on it! Thanks for the tip Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 3170584802

Coelli 6/17/2012, 2:13 pm

I recently sprouted Clemson Spineless Okra and I kid you not, it sprouted in 2 days. I soaked the seeds for about 2 hours in water with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide, then stuck them in seed starting mix in 2 newspaper pots on a seedling mat indoors. My notes say they were put in the pots on the 10th and started emerging on the 12th.

As soon as I saw them emerging I put them, pots and all, in the garden. They've continued to come up, 1 is now working on its first true leaves and the other is having trouble shedding its seed cover. It's been very warm here and they get about 10 hours a day of full sun.

I'm looking forward to it - I think I'll order some burgundy okra from Baker Creek too!

**Turan** 6/17/2012, 3:15 pm

I started mine in 2" soilblocks and put them on my heat mat. They sprouted in a few days, faster than a week I think. 2" was too small for them though. The 4" soil blocks I constructed did not do well. Next time I think I will sprout them and then plant direct into the QB patented air pruning Solo cup system Very Happy

Nonna.PapaVino 6/17/2012, 8:27 pm

So excited to see other 'northerners' planting okra. My 8 plants (4 Emerald, 4 Zeebest) are planted up in two concrete mixing tubs (along with some Asian melons) in the greenhouse. We removed all the 3' high "benches" and put the tubs on the floor. Black tubs, or extraordinary heat generated by greenhouse apparently encouraged the okra plants to grow quite well. Interesting experiment, to compare with the same plants planted in a bale bed outside, with hoop house over it. Will try to keep y'all updated. Ain't this fun?

**Turan** 7/11/2012, 1:19 pm

I got a POD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and more flowers coming Laughing

Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 12-jul15

I am planning to pickle them.

elliephant 7/11/2012, 2:47 pm

I sure wish I could pass some okra up north to y'all. I'm getting more than I can handle and the plants are just starting to branch, increasing the yield like crazy. Planting less next year. Laughing

Windsor.Parker 7/18/2012, 10:18 am

Our Okra is in the "making"!
Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 Imga0710

Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 Imga0711

Friday Rookie Topic XI: OKRA!! - Page 2 Imga0712

**camprn** 7/18/2012, 10:28 am

OH! How lovely! mine are still only 6 inches tall.... I wonder what the hold up is.... thinking

**Turan** 7/18/2012, 11:29 am

Mine are only about a foot tall, not even over the edge of the wall o waters yet. They are blooming and making a few pods but this is pretty meager stuff. I suspect they would like me to keep the green house closed but then the tomatoes would stop fruiting from heat stroke.

O Southerners, is okra a crop that really starts going when it is too hot for tomatoes and beans and such?

littlejo 7/18/2012, 12:35 pm

yes, Okra likes it hot! And not too much water either. You can put black plastic down to really heat up the soil. Tomatoes will be wilting and the okra will be going strong!
Jo

plantoid 7/18/2012, 7:54 pm

Nanook of the north asks what sort of night temps do you get over the okra season ...he asks .....cos he's nosey Laughing

elliephant 7/18/2012, 8:10 pm

Our usual nighttime temps during the summer are 75-77 degrees.

Pollinator 7/18/2012, 9:00 pm

Turan wrote:
O Southerners, is okra a crop that really starts going when it is too hot for tomatoes and beans and such?

I think okra would produce in hell. It's the most heat tolerant (or heat loving) veggie I know.

cherriesjubilee 7/19/2012, 8:22 pm

An acquaintance in Dallas has said his okra is doing terrible this year. He's said only two have come up...

[/quote]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! My okra is not doing that great yet. I planted it two months ago.

The beginning of this thread is absolutely correct. Okra seeds do not keep well. Someone gave me some pods of the burgundy okra and very few seeds germinated.

However, I used the little I had, plus some store-bought to do a stir-fry, like this:

Sliced up a little yellow squash. Sliced the okra. Heated one tablespoon of coconut oil in a skillet. Dredged the okra and squash in quinoa flour (I don't eat wheat or corn). Browned pieces in the oil.

Fantastic way to do it! No slimy quality, and the quinoa flour made it taste so good.

**Turan** 7/22/2012, 9:21 pm

Thanks, ya'all. I am thinking then that to really get okra here I would need a greenhouse in the greenhouse.

**camprn** 7/22/2012, 9:25 pm

All you okra growers out there... does okra need a lot of water? or not so much? I'm going back to the original post to double check but I thought I would ask. Very Happy

elliephant 7/23/2012, 9:20 am

Not so much. It was the only thing that kept producing when I stopped watering last summer in anticipation of a move. But it is producing more this summer with regular watering.

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