Worth's 2017 Accidental Garden.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Of the 3 varieties I tried this year : I liked Green velvet the best.
I have saved seed from it and that is the only one I'll grow next year.
The other two are : Emerald Green and Louisiana [something ]. The later stayed very short as plant with curly/crooked fruits.

I just saw this - if you grew all three varieties in your garden this year - you most likely saved crossed seeds. My advice - buy some Green Velvet seeds and only grow those unless you want to try other varieties but don't save seeds. Okra crosses just as much or more than peppers do. The difference is crossed peppers can taste and produce well. Crossed okra is awful and disappointing.

[Worth1]

Maybe my oddball okra will come out next year with something new.
What ever it is it is crazy looking big.
If the cucumber seeds do anything in the heat I will be surprised.
Waiting for weather to cool to plant the mint.
Cinnamon basil is a real heat lover.
Even with neglect it is doing okay.
Everything needs fertilizer big time.
Worth

[Worth1]

Just as I suspected the hatching I saw in the okra was wheel bugs.
Doesn't take them long to grow.
While picking okra they were everywhere in the plants.
Wheel bug.


Baby wheel bug.

Wheel bug eggs.

[Worth1]

Okra well over 8 feet tall.
IMG_20170815_735.jpg

[dmforcier]

Wheel bugs in Wikipedia:

"They are predators upon soft-bodied insects... Because most of their prey are pests, wheel bugs are considered as beneficial to the garden as ladybugs."


I assume there a Smokie in the okra, but I don't see her.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

Wheel bugs in Wikipedia:

"They are predators upon soft-bodied insects... Because most of their prey are pests, wheel bugs are considered as beneficial to the garden as ladybugs."


I assume there a Smokie in the okra, but I don't see her.

Too hot outside for Smokey I offered to let her go out and she wont.
This is day two of her not being or wanting to go outside.
Worth

[jillian]

Another new to me bug, at least it's a good one.
I looked for Smokey in the top of the okra I don't blame her for staying in, the heat and humidity has returned here after several weeks of unusually pleasant weather.

[Worth1]

Don't fool with or mash them the bite is horrendous.
Worth

[jillian]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Don't fool with or mash them the bite is horrendous.
Worth

I looked it up and saw that. The gosh darn doodle fire ants are bad enough.

[Gardeneer]

Worth,you are lucky with so much shade.my gardens get full sun all day, no shade.
My basils are doing great too. But have to water almost everyday.
I pulled and cleaned up my corn, beans and cucumbers and started some fall crops about 5 days ago.
I sowed some direct and some in cells. They have started popping
Few volunteer cukes came up too (from abandoned cucumbers ) . I will keep some of them.

A week ago I went to Lowes to buy some seeds. I knew that they wont have seeds racks. I kep asking. Finally a guy found the seed racks up on the highest shelf, in the garden center. He called the lift truck guy and he brought the racks ( all wrapped )down. I picked whatever I wanted and they put them back on . That was very nice customer service. They could have just said that they won't sell seeds at this time.

[Worth1]

Confounded Armenian cucumber seeds are sprouting, only been planted about 3 days, who would have thought.
One day I didn't even water them.

Worth

[Worth1]

Some how out of the small patch of okra I am tired of eating okra and have pickled okra and have I think 12 quarts of okra frozen cut and whole.
The growing season will last until at least latter November.
Still a lot of okra to come.
Lord only knows what is hiding underground with the sweet potatoes.
I wont mess with them until a good cold snap.
Probably nothing there.

[AlittleSalt]

In 2013, I grew three 30' rows of okra. Picking okra became an everyday chore. You can only eat and freeze so much okra until you're tired of looking at it, but the plants were beautiful.

Next year I want to get a trough or something of that nature and plant around 10-15 okra plants.

[dmforcier]

What's okra like when frozen in a home freezer? The frozen stuff you buy keeps its integrity pretty well, but I assume that it's flash frozen.

[AlittleSalt]

From my perspective, frozen whole okra for boiling is better when grown at home and frozen than store bought frozen okra. I don't have an opinion on frozen okra to fry. I like fried okra best when it's fresh.