Allotments 4 All

I`m still watching-now the rules are a decent crop-not just two or three fruit :) And my word is my bond anyone getting a good crop can have them cooked by me at Cleo Towers

Define decent

More than 6 fruit on any plant?-my best was four.

6!!! Oh dear...... considering mine only have 2 leaves at the minute (one has a third coming) .... are we allowed to pool our efforts??

could be the world's most expensive curry with all the miles we will have to do to gather 6 okra.... wonder what the carbon footprint would be too?  ;D

Shall not give in though!  :P

That just makes me determined  dum diddy diddi diddy dum.XX Jeannine

Next year I am going to try again but sow them much later-like mid May in the hope that they do not get a check.

Iused to be in touch with a lady in Belgium who reckoned she could grow them outside-but she vanished before I ever got any seeds from her-I don`t think she was winding me up as she was a very reliable poster on a site now semi defunct

Cleo, you are right. I have read a lot lately about Okra and it bears out what you are saying,it hates cold, hates being transplanted so I think planting it later  might be the answer,much like corn.

I think  we should set a date,all the use the same variety and see collectively what we can do next year.

'orrible things.

XX Jeannine

I like the idea of an okra gathering!  Heehee! ;D  But yeah, bad for the ol' enviro....

Quote from: Jeannine on June 18, 2007, 17:19:15
Oh Sally it's like being in a ruddy obstacle race, silly things!!

Don't chuck em though maybe it is the way they go, mine looked a bit pale at one point but not white.

Can you bring them inside and warm them up a bit.

Hang in there.

Daisy, I hope someone can tell us what thsi thingy is.

XX Jeannine

Bit of good news RE my ickle plants - they are already inside, so warmth is not reason for the white colour, BUT they were slightly obscured from the sun by an unruly aubergine leaf.  This is now moved and after about a week, the leaves are turning back green again!  Woohoo!  Will try to post a pic cos it looks pretty cool!

Oh good, back in the race, hang on, one of us will make it !! XX Jeannine

Mine are still doing diddly squat.  I reakon that next year we have an Okra challenge.  Bit like Monty does on Gardeners World.....decide a date and all sow on the same weekend then we all post the details like pot sizes, compost used, progress and so on.  We must be able to master growing these, surely!?!?

Not quite dead yet! re next year I have a generous pkt of mammoth okra from lovely Biscome (40'ish) seeds that is, so  apart from our beloved fave okra seed, might these be an idea as a control seed?

I think we should do it too. I am going to do a bit of research and try to find which ones are known for naughtiness and the opposite, I will post the findings when I can, I am already looking forward to this. I will decide on the the variety for myself later.May well be your one though.!!

Having said that, I have a flower on my others, small but just starting to open.

Amazing really, they are sitting there warm as toast in a greenhouse with floods all round them.

XX Jeannine.

there is an article in July's Gardeners World about how hard okra are to grow so we shouldn't beat ourselves up too much.

One of mine has developed something itchy and scratchy over the weekend, looking decidely unpleasant :-[, the other one is still threatening to flower!  ;D

Well I now have a list of 40 odd okra, all with different maturity dates and from what I am reading we  are growing the ones that are common to find ,not the ones that are better for cooler areas.Some take as many as 80 days and some as few as 45, that makes a difference just like tomatoes.

I feel a bit more educated now  and fairly confident as to what I am looking for next year.

Still going to spend a while making up my mind but I think I know where I am going now.

XX Jeannine

You realise Jeannine, that once you have accumulated all the information, digested it, studied and learnt it, you are going to have to pass it all on, in easy to read and understand English, to us!  ;D ;D  You are to become our Okra Scholar, to train us in the ways of growing this most difficult of fruits.  Then next year, when we have more Okra than we can shake an old ladies finger at, the gorgeous Cleo will have no choice than to prepare us all a grastranomic delight for us Okra growers to relish.

The most delightful okra dish I ever prepared was for our 10th wedding anniversary (couldn't afford to eat out - times were 'ard).

Lightly boiled okra, then pan fried in butter with mushrooms, a trace of chilli and black pepper, then topped off with cream.

Rich, but worthy of the occasion.

We also had steak teryaki, and pan roasted potatoes as per Elizabeth David. Plus other courses, including black cherry and brandy crepes.

I still remember that meal.

Derek :)

No problem Emma Jane, I can do that XX Jeannine

Anymore okra updates?  I've been out of the A4A loop for a while since they restricted internet access at work    >:( >:(   Just trying to catch up with the 34 pages of unread messages!

ANyway, my okra are still 'okay' quite small but new leaves have sprouted (that's one new leaf on each plant, not plural leaves on each!!) and at least they are green this time!  Still not very tall though, about 8 inches maybe.

:)

One!  I have one left, and although it looks okay, it is tiddly!   >:(

Sorry folks, eating mine (only one every 2 days though) got 4 plants,  but plants are smaller than last year. Anyone growing Mammoth? A great link here for all you okra fans

http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/