Anyone up for the Okra challenge this year?

[dtw]

Is 13-13-13 some sort of American fertiliser?
What's the British equivalent?

[dtw]

[calendula]

My word remains my bond.

you produce a decent crop and my wok and kitchen are here to cook them for you.

I hope Tim takes part in this as I reckon he's partial to curries and also west indian food uses okra quite a lot - prawn gumbo being the most well known so we should have some recipes at the ready as well  ;)

[morton]

Don't know the equivalent because I am a spongecake when it comes to that sort of thing but it appears that in the US fertilizer bags are labeled with at least three numbers. I have copied the following.
These numbers list the percentage of nitrogen (N), available phosphate (as P2O5) and soluble potash (as K2O). These numbers represent nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, commonly referred to as N-P-K. However, these elements are symbolically represented as N-P2O5-K2O. For example, if we have a 100- pound bag of fertilizer labeled 10-10-10, it contains 10 pounds of N, 10 pounds of P2O5, and 10 pounds of K2O. To convert to actual phosphorus, multiply the P2O5 by 0.44 and, to convert to actual potassium, multiply the K2O by 0.83. The other 70 pounds is filler or carrier which is important to help spread the fertilizer evenly and avoid burning plants with too much fertilizer. A 100-pound bag of fertilizer labeled 0-20-10 would contain no N, 20 pounds of P2O5, 10 pounds of K2O and 70 pounds of filler or carrier. Fillers may be clay, saw dust etc. Other parts of the nutrient carrier may be other elements associated with the nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium such as hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, and chloride.

[Rob08]

Don't know the equivalent because I am a spongecake when it comes to that sort of thing but it appears that in the US fertilizer bags are labeled with at least three numbers. I have copied the following.
These numbers list the percentage of nitrogen (N), available phosphate (as P2O5) and soluble potash (as K2O). These numbers represent nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, commonly referred to as N-P-K. However, these elements are symbolically represented as N-P2O5-K2O. For example, if we have a 100- pound bag of fertilizer labeled 10-10-10, it contains 10 pounds of N, 10 pounds of P2O5, and 10 pounds of K2O. To convert to actual phosphorus, multiply the P2O5 by 0.44 and, to convert to actual potassium, multiply the K2O by 0.83. The other 70 pounds is filler or carrier which is important to help spread the fertilizer evenly and avoid burning plants with too much fertilizer. A 100-pound bag of fertilizer labeled 0-20-10 would contain no N, 20 pounds of P2O5, 10 pounds of K2O and 70 pounds of filler or carrier. Fillers may be clay, saw dust etc. Other parts of the nutrient carrier may be other elements associated with the nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium such as hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, and chloride.

My head hurts...

I remembert his stuff from when I first started growing veg as a teenager in South Africa.  Good if you are not fussed about being organic.  Just be careful and don't leave the granules anywhere near the stems or leaves of the plants as they will burn them - I burnt through a few cucumber plants before I learned that lesson.

[Rob08]

I had a laugh earlier today when reading about growing Okra.  'Treat like tomatoes' the website said.  Ha! 

I think given that the okra will need a good season to do anything useful it should be started earlier.  However, the same website said they do not like being transplanted, so not too early.

Maybe the 1st April suggestion is about right?

[silverbirch]

I think I've got some seed left.

Year 1 I got one fruit.
Yr 2 they all damped off at the seedling stage.

In reply to dtw, UK fertilizers show the same thing, and as morton said, it shows the % of NPK in the mix.  What it means is you have a balanced fertilizser with equal quantities of each.

[Jeannine]

You are right with the US fertilsers, how ever most folks that use them use an all round like 10 10 10, anyway..

This is the little I know about Okra.

It neede heat to germinate,I found that bit easy.

It likes to be moist throughout but hates wet and it can tolerate some dry..now if you are confused join the club.

It seems to grow well, then it stops, it just stops, then it starts again.

Then they croak!!

One by one most of us dropped out, mine went belly up in the floods though, I did feel I might have managed a  few good plants but I ended up with 1 that I rescued and it had two fruit..I started with a propagator full!!

It was a big laugh, albeit a bit frustrating.

XX Jeannine

PS. forgive me if I am repeating  myself but I put quite a lot of seed in the swap parcel, and I will add some to the other two swaps that are coming my way.

[Jeannine]

Take some from the swap parcel Tom, I put about 5 varieties in there. XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

Of course, this is for all who like a challenge.XX Jeannine

[Rob08]

Hi Jeannine,

Since you had some luck with the plants last year (sans floods) do you have any tips on how to grow these?  How did you plant/treat the seeds, seedlings etc to get them as far as you did?

[Jeannine]

The short answer is no... the longer answer is well maybe.

What I did find for sure is they like heat. They slowed down if the temp went down and picked up when it got hot. Mine were in a greenhouse and they loved the very high heat of the summer.

The biggy I learned is that they don't like to be transplanted. the ones I started in Jiffy7 pots then moved to 3 inch pots  were fine, the ones I started in cells then transplanted into 3 inch pots  sulked.

I put them in propogaters in the dark warm airing cupboard and when they popped I moved them into a warm greenhouse.

That really is all I know first hand..oh yes they like moisture, if they went dry they sulked too.

XX Jeannine

I am hoping to stsrt some in half term in two weeks, but I might start a few befor to check germination.

[Rob08]

Thanks for this info.  Will be a very interesting challenge methinks...

[cleo]

OK the rules are;

1-Open to UK based folk only( sorry but that`s the way it is)

2-A `decent` crop means at least 8 good fruit per plant.

3- the winner/winners to divulge their secrets for the benefit of mere mortals

The dubious prize?-I`ll cook them for you here. There is no pool,no accommodation and you have to put up with my tantrums when I`m cooking-but imagine your pride when the photos get posted ;D

[Jeannine]

Thank you Cleo, I'me gonna get it this year!! Can you cater for a crowd, there are some very determined folks joining in XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

Don't follow this one it is for growing in the south in the US..very hot there and easy to grow LOL

We need one called " Okra on the 'umber" or thereabouts.

XX Jeannine

[cleo]

Like I said Jeannine-there is no accommodation here but I have a pretty large garden folk can wander around while I cook. I`m going for yard long beans this year. Now who will be bringing the tiger prawns and curry leaves? :)

[cleo]

8 fruit stand so far and it will not increase,but I have asked over in the US on a site I like

Has anyone ever seen these growing or even grown them?

I`m putting up a challenge in the UK for my keen gardening friends. Nobody won it last year but many are up for it this year-the prize is me cooking them.

I`ve given up but my rules are 8 fruit per plant-is that a lot for a plant? How many does one plant give in ideal conditions?

In the UK we can manage between two and four if we get lucky -but I don`t really know what a hard but fair challenge should ask.

I`ve given up btw but there are some keen gardeners over here and some have heard about my cooking :-)

[lottieowner]

Hi there
Tried to grow them last year-all the sseds germinated and got up to 6" tall in an unheated  GH.Planted them out under a cloche-just stopped growing.Going to try again-clemsons spineless-bought some today for half price-suttons
Will keep you all posted

[Garjan]

If I tell you that the weather in the Netherlands is just secondhand weather from the UK, can I be in your okra challenge?

I'm not in any 'deep south' hot and humid weather zone, so no unfair headstart. In fact I am at a disadvantage as I also don't own a greenhouse and have to grow them outside.

And I will pay my own travel expenses to cleo's if I do have a decent crop.
Please?? :'(

[Jeannine]

Of course you can,Netherlands  is family to me now anyway. I might even send some to my son and see if he can do it outside, his grapevine is good in Emmen. XX Jeannine. I will post an update on names later today. We need to stick together!!!

Cleo, you better start the big pot a boiling now, we could be having the 2008 reunion at your place

XX Jeannine