Kitchen Garden Forum

Tigger wrote:I always find [okra] taste a bit like wallpaper paste.

Yup, especially if they're added to a dish that's already quite liquid.

If you can get to fry them a little first (eg. with oil & onions), they'll cook without generating the sliminess.


Colin

Okra is reknown for its poor yields! the 7 pods does not surprise me.

From my on-going reading, i have come to adopt the following ideal growing min temp for my 'hot' plants, particulary as young plants.

Indoor Cucumbers : 20c
outdoor/ridge Cucumbers : 16c
Aubergines : 16c
peppers/chilis : 14c
Tomatoes : 12c

I use various heat mats to keep my plants something near these levels.

12c is my base temp, i always try to stay above.

One thing to remember though, is that the min temperature in say a glass house in late May, is very diferent than a min temp in say early March. Due to differnce in lights hours etc, the period of low temp is alot longer in March than May. Its the period of low temperature which is just as important.

A short period of say 10c in night temperature, probably is not much harm to plants in say may/june/july, since i read that the cooler temperature helps fruit to set in most of the above plants. not sure about cucumbers though.

Indeed max temperatures and shading from the sun for these months (May/june/july/august) are more critical issues i feel.

As a result of this thread, I bought a max/min thermometer.

One thing this told me was that over the recent sunny weather of late April, my greenhouse in Bristol has been reaching 30-34 deg C during the day(if the thermometer is to be believed).

I have put a whiting layer on the glass to reduce the impact of the sun, but was still getting these max temperature until it cooled late this week. I shudder to think what it was last summer during the extended hot period.

Any advice on temperatures this high & plants to watch out for (this year I'm looking to have tomatoes, peppers, aubergines & okra in there).


Colin

I have wireless temperature sensors in my cold greenhouse and outside at home. They give continous readings transmiited to my weatherstaion in the house . Over the years I would say the greenhouse at night gives 2-3 degrees protection from fost. In other words the temperature needs to be about -3 to -4C outside before it drops below zero in the greenhouse. Of course if you lag your greenhouse well with bubble plastic or suchlike you get better protection. The trouble is you reduce the light and seedlings can get leggy!

George

When I read the first line of your post I envisaged a temperature guage that turned on a radio aka wireless..now that would have been a novel idea.. They do say that music makes plants grow better I have often wondered?
Then I read the rest of your post

maximum temperatures:
i like to keep maximum temps in mid 30's c. If you find that your glass house goes into the 40's at any stage. I would take measures to reduce temperatures.
ie:
1)increasing ventilation
2)shading
3)watering the floor


Since i use heat mats which keep plants at different min, temps at night, i find tha maximum day temperature is increases by 2-4 degrees on the heat-mat during the day, compared to surrounding glasshouse.

I use an electronic inside/outside type thermometer. i push the outside probe into a pot of compost similar to which plants are in. thus i can compare greenhouse temps plus temps of plants on heatmats in glasshouse.

By shading i reduced max day temperatures by 10c degrees i reckon for plants on heatmats.

Shading is good though since it prevents sunscorch, and reduce chances of red spider mite attacks, though humidity levels plays a part in relation to spidermites etc too.

JB some news re my tortured pepper plant that I left to suffer in the polytunnel over winter.
It's stumpy nature has transformed into quite a large bush plant and has started cropping very well. I've eaten a couple of 7inch peppers green, there's another 5 or so fully formed but leaving to go red and loads more coming. I wonder if the issue is the age the plant is when it is below 10c. This pepper wasn't young when it went in the tunnel about 6 months and at least 7 months old when temps were below 10c
It was a very mild winter this year and warm spring - so i am sure that helped. What do you think?
The variety is Doux D'Espagne matures to a 20cm long very tasty red pepper.