Thanks for the ping!
Not sure what a Buddha Belly is in bamboo...
I have been enjoying gathering my tiny harvest.
I have let several of my okra pods go to seed, and I was considering them the other day and realized that I needed to be careful not to mix the seeds up since I have 3 varieties, so I can know what I have when I want to plant next year (or whenever.) The thought occurred to me that I can take my black marker and actually write on the outer pod the variety name, so when I pick it there will be no question about which variety I have.
I’m sure others have also figured out good ways to do this, but since I am a relative newby, I think this approach will do for me!
What has been even better is that as I take my walks, I’ve been the neighborhood waif, and some of my neighbors have been sharing bits of THEIR harvests with me! I have some squash from them (as you know, mine were a bust again this year mostly!)
While I’ve been enjoying our tiny harvest of tomatoes (most of which are in the process of being prepped for the freezer) - where I really hit the jackpot is from some of my neighbors who have been canning! I got a jar of peach preserves and an armful of peaches from one neighbor, and today I got a jar of chow-chow relish from another.
I shared with them small messes of okra and some other small bounties.
It has been a joyful week. The weather has turned off cool, and fall is here!
Okra will cross if it’s within several hundred feet of another variety.
If you want to save okra seeds and are growing more than one type you will have to either stagger the plantings so only one type is blooming at a time, plant only one type per year, or use some sort of restriction (bagging the blooms and pollinating by hand) technique.
http://www.southernexposure.com/okra-ezp-63.html
Says 1/8 mile separation for home use.
Which isn’t to say you can’t keep the seeds you have. They will all still be okra :) But you may have the odd child or two in the bunch...
The southernexposure.com site has a lot of seed saving tips for each type of veggie.
http://www.southernexposure.com/kohlrabi-ezp-59.html
http://www.southernexposure.com/muskmelon-cantaloupe-ezp-62.html
etc.
The best book I’ve found on the subject is ‘Seed to Seed’ by Ashworth. Worth every penny if you want to save seed from this or that. Plus it gives tips for each region as to planting dates and other cultural notes to increase success for each particular veg. including how to bag or hand pollinate if you can’t use the distance isolation. Gives detailed instructions on how to save corn seed which I found highly useful. YMMV.
We are cool today too. About 69 degrees today. Zukes are coming on strong it seems. The largesti is now about a foot long. We’ll probably be making some zuke pickles soon.
Well hold onto your socks, and grab a rubber raft and life preserver and grab a snow showvbel.
Joe Bastardi(Satruday about 1140 AM via 'EXCELLENCE')has come out with his fall/winter forecast and says that many of us can expect a Fall surprise of snow, wet, and cold.
Don't quit gardening now !