Growing Okra, also Ladyfinger, gumbo

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19 Mar 17 (Australia - temperate climate)
First time growing okra. plants about 15 cm tall but seem spindly.New leaves and growing.Do they need staking?Howhigh do they grow?
20 Mar 17 mick cunningham (Australia - arid climate)
I grow them in Newcastle and they grew spindley I didn't realise until I grew them here in Tamworth it must have been lack of sunshine as here shorter more dense and prolific fruit. Possibly sunshine is issue
20 Mar 17 Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
I have had Okra plants 2 metres high. They were in a block and were unstaked
19 Mar 17 John (Australia - temperate climate)
Okra needs a long hot season to perform at its best. I planted it one time in January and there just wasn't enough season left. The plants were flowering and I did get a few but the main crop didn't grow and ripen because the weather had cooled down. try planting the seed in small pots earlier so that they can be planted out in late October or early November to achieve a long growing season. In the southern states the soil temperature often doesn't reach 15-17 degrees till about then.

Okra needs a long hot season to perform at its best. I planted it one time in January and there just wasn't enough season left. The plants were flowering and I did get a few but the main crop didn't grow and ripen because the weather had cooled down. try planting the seed in small pots earlier so that they can be planted out in late October or early November to achieve a long growing season. In the southern states the soil temperature often doesn't reach 15-17 degrees till about then.

- John

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