It's been a bleak week, BUT.....

[Meadowlark]

Okra? Impeded by heat? Not in my experience...in fact the hotter the better. Same for water melons.

I grow huge quantities of Okra and melons in July and August but have never seen Okra that would grow in night time temps below the 70's. So what type of okra does that, please?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Okra? Impeded by heat? Not in my experience...in fact the hotter the better. Same for water melons.

I grow huge quantities of Okra and melons in July and August but have never seen Okra that would grow in night time temps below the 70's. So what type of okra does that, please?

Okra does the best of all. But we generally plant the garden all at once and forego the individual considerations of one plant species. With me at least, it is pure laziness. Plus we can pull squash and okra in April if all is well. We have some fungal friends that show up in the late season on okra blooms that have no cure. I am gonna try cornmeal and betadine this year to see if trichoderma or surface santitization might help. Its a fungi with white stalks and a black ball on top that looks furry. I would have to root around to find you the name, but it love the blooms.

Obviously there may be humidity differences between us as opposed to temps, yet you guys are close to us in so many ways. What numbers could you point me to for humidity?

 

[David from Dothan]

Interesting on starting the okra and water melon. I usually don't start those until night time temps are regularly in the '70's. Curious why so early on those? Just curious.

Okra is, just about, our favorite veggie. Last year I had a stupid idea......I planted Crimson Spineless instead of our tried and true Emerald okra.. Last year's okra crop was a TOTAL disaster, so I started earlier than usual this year........to see if I CAN get this big of a jump on "traditional timing"......well, that and I'm not the most patient gardener on the forum.......Ya just never know........

 

[DirtMechanic]

Okra is, just about, our favorite veggie. Last year I had a stupid idea......I planted Crimson Spineless instead of our tried and true Emerald okra.. Last year's okra crop was a TOTAL disaster, so I started earlier than usual this year........to see if I CAN get this big of a jump on "traditional timing".........Ya just never know........

We did spineless too. It worked out for us, they got tall. Too many really. Less this year I think.

 

[David from Dothan]

We did spineless too. It worked out for us, they got tall. Too many really. Less this year I think.

Don't know WHAT happened to ours. The plants didn't get 3 1/2 ft. tall and only a handful of okra (I'm being generous). Planted 5 or 6 Emerald seeds REALLY late (in August) and before the first frost they were well over 5 ft. tall. Every year I put out 25-30 plants.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Don't know WHAT happened to ours. The plants didn't get 3 1/2 ft. tall and only a handful of okra (I'm being generous). Planted 5 or 6 Emerald seeds REALLY late (in August) and before the first frost they were well over 5 ft. tall. Every year I put out 25-30 plants.

Sound like a root issue. RKN?

 

[Meadowlark]

...What numbers could you point me to for humidity?

Few places anywhere have a higher temp/humidity combo than this part of Texas. 100/100 isn't unusual in August. Okra absolutely thrives in those conditions...arguably better than any other veggie I know. Melons and cow peas also do well at high heat/humidity but nothing loves it more than Okra. If I planted Okra in March or April or early May, it would just sulk and not grow until the temp/humidity gets up there to its liking.

I love Okra but I don't even think about planting it until the onions and potatoes are harvested in late May.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Then you harvest late. By then it would be in the way of the winter crops of course. Okra feeds over such a long time compared to others. Our average temp is 90f and our average humidity is sponge.

 

[Meadowlark]

Then you harvest late. ...

No, not at all. I garden year around. Continuously harvesting.

I don't even start winter crops until Sept. or later ...and by then we have enough Okra to feed our County, LOL. The spring is for potatoes, onions, beans, squash, radishes, tomatoes, and corn; the summer is for Okra, melons, all kinds of cow peas, peppers, cucs , and late corn....but the hottest most humid loving plant is Okra.

 

[David from Dothan]

Have had to transplant to bigger pots......AGAIN. This time to 4 1/2 pots. Root bound AND putting on baby squash. Thinking that I won't start until FOUR weeks before last frost, next year.

 

[DirtMechanic]

ok I am all ears and eyes because so many say do not mess with curcubit roots!

 

[David from Dothan]

ok I am all ears and eyes because so many say do not mess with curcubit roots!

Stay tuned.....film at 11........

 

[David from Dothan]

ok I am all ears and eyes because so many say do not mess with curcubit roots!

......AND, I have learned, over the years, that plants, generally, have a remarkable survival instinct and if you don't tell them negative stuff like, "you don't like to have your roots disturbed".....they can have an amazing tendency to do just the opposite of what they're "supposed" to do.......Ya just never KNOW.......

 

[DirtMechanic]

Oh, the things you do not say in that post! Like me, my idea about betadine, and this nasty little fungus that shows up on my squash flowers late in the summer! I have it all worked out see? It cannot fail. Cornmeal first and if the trichoderma gets the runaround then BAM! like a old episode of Batman and Robin. It cannot go wrong!

 

[G.W]

Looking good David

Had some damping off fungus on my leeks, so sprinkled some cornmeal on the surface.

View attachment 49673
Hey David, I hadn't heard about cornmeal for Fungus, does it absorb the moisture? What does it do?