Mike
Well-known member
A nice mess of okra there. We haven't gotten enough in several days straight to even make a meal out of. Pretty much all of ours, so far, has turned into chicken food.
From the Veggie Garden Today
- Thread starter Meadowlark
- Start date
Meadowlark
Well-known member
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
In my early days of growing okra, I found it just would not produce unless enough organic matter was in the soil. Don't know if that is your situation or not...and I don't know for sure how much organic matter is needed but suspect something above 5% is probably required.
Mike
Well-known member
That could be it. Probably not much organic matter in my soil. It's been just sitting there for years, almost never being mowed and covered in nothing but weeds and stickers. We plan on adding some compost to it this fall.
How do you cook and use Okra? I have never even considered growing this.
Meadowlark
Well-known member
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
Compost and a cover crop and I would bet lots and lots of okra next summer and thereafter.
Trust me it is absolutely delicious fried...but a lot of people like it grilled. Good in jambalaya also but that might be beyond a Brit's taste
.To fry, dip sliced okra in batter and deep fry. Good stuff!!
Mike
Well-known member
Compost and a cover crop and I would bet lots and lots of okra next summer and thereafter.
Trust me it is absolutely delicious fried...but a lot of people like it grilled. Good in jambalaya also but that might be beyond a Brit's taste
To fry, dip sliced okra in batter and deep fry. Good stuff!!
We like it sauteed too. Just a little oil in the cast iron, season with garlic salt and black pepper, then sautee until it's got some dark bits and all that sliminess is gone.
Funny you should say that, as Zigs told me earlier that he heard about it being like a bag of slime. That kind of description tends to put me off a bit.
- Location
- Kent, England
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
I remember cooking Okra, I boiled it up, scraped it out of the saucepan into the compost bin and then cooked up something edible instead 
Mike
Well-known member
I remember cooking Okra, I boiled it up, scraped it out of the saucepan into the compost bin and then cooked up something edible instead
Yeah, I'm not a big fan of boiled okra myself. My mom loves it, but it's way to slimy for me!
- Location
- Kent, England
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
We have something called Oysters which are like fishy snot. Some people pay a lot of money for them as they are meant to be aphrodisiacs
Mike
Well-known member
We have something called Oysters which are like fishy snot. Some people pay a lot of money for them as they are meant to be aphrodisiacs
Oh yeah, big thing here too. They're everywhere! I do like them fried, but hard pass on the raw ones for me.
- Location
- Kent, England
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
Going back on topic, we now have about 3 Parsnips germinated 
According to the Met office this has been the hottest spring on record. According to all of us gardeners and the farmers it's been the wettest coldest spring ever where nothing has germinated, things that did turned purple and withered.
Wonder which one of us was lying?
According to the Met office this has been the hottest spring on record. According to all of us gardeners and the farmers it's been the wettest coldest spring ever where nothing has germinated, things that did turned purple and withered.
Wonder which one of us was lying?
- Location
- Kent, England
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
The previous mrs Zigs fed me a raw one
I divorced her and moved to the other side of the country.
How long did yours take to germinate? I planted some on 6-24. Never grown them. Still waiting. Its been really hot here ever since.Going back on topic, we now have about 3 Parsnips germinated
Meadowlark
Well-known member
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
They are as difficult as carrots to germinate for me.
- Location
- Kent, England
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
They take weeks, not many of them germinate, that's why they put 1,000 seeds in the packet, not because folk really want a thousand parsnips
I've gone between the ones that have germinated and hand sown a seed a few mil under the soil, then gave it a good soaking. Might stand a chance of some small roots before the end of the season.
Monty Don reckoned that the way to do parsnips is to pre-germinate them in a plastic bag. You put fine damp compost in the bag and mix in the seeds. Last years seeds will NOT germinate, and they have to be fresh... then you tie the top of the bag with string, and hang them in a dark warm place for about 4 or 5 days. Have a pre-prepared furrow ready and lay the seeds, (which should have germinated) in it to grow them on.
It might be worth a try.
It might be worth a try.
Yes, I usually reckon on two years at least for seeds to be viable, but the parsnips need to be as fresh as possible, so if we ever manage to get a few to grow, it will be well worth collecting seed from them for the following year. I did manage to get a small number last year, and they are still in a pot complete with flowers which are now fading, and so will collect seed from them as they dry out! With a bit of luck and a fair wind, we may get success for next season. Hope so, I love parsnips.
