Kimka: I hate to sound like such a newb, but when you say " just check in the database for details to settle which seeds to sow in what order." what database are you talking about? Gardenweed, thanks for pointing me to Clothiers database. I'm working through it now, but it seems light on info on veg (most of the entires are "ornamental"). I'm mostly doing vegetables this year I think, because I already planted over 100 bulbs for the spring, so I think the only flower seeds I'm sowing are poppies, and maybe a few companion flowers for the veg garden (nasturtium, marigold, morning glory etc) Is there some other database resource that I'm overlooking for veg?

I don't know that I would put okra too close to tomato plants in a 5' x 8' bed unless the tomatoes were about 5' away from each other. If that were the case you likely could get away with putting an okra plant in between each two tomato plants Okra plants have perfect flowers that are self-pollinating, so you will get pods even if you have only one plant. It is hard to picture how you are going to squeeze okra plants into a bed with tomato plants without knowing how big your tomato plants are and how widely they are spaced. Okra plants tend to spread out really wide, or at least many varieties do. There are a few dwarf okra varieties that might work in this situation. One problem is that the tomatoes have been in the ground a while and presumably have achieved some height and young okra plants might struggle to become established in the shade of the tomato plants. I often sneak okra plants into flower beds because they are so beautiful and ornamental. If you have any flower or shrub beds with space available, you might consider doing that....unless you have deer that walk through the yard. Okra is the favorite plant of the deer we have here in our neighborhood, and sunflowers and hollyhocks are high on their list as well.

Hello everyone. My name is Glen Hamner. I am the developer of a new variety of okra called AfricanX. My blog is over at Green Country Seed savers in the okra section. Its the seed saver forum that George started. Yes, its new. I would like others to enjoy this new variety and maybe help keep it around. New variety's come and go. This is a unique variety of okra. A blend of Panamanian giant Coffee okra and Echo's African okra. Coffee okra was crossed with the African okra. The result(F1) was planted and then back-crossed with the Coffee okra. The result is a very beautiful, late season, perennial okra. Totally spineless, late season, super hardy, nematode resistant, okra. It is now stabilized. The result is better than I ever dreamed. I am ready to share this new okra with others. Especially seed savers. Seed savers will perpetuate the survival of this new okra. This okra is not meant to replace your existing favorite okra. It is meant to be a companion okra. Your A esculentus okra is early season okra. AfricanX is late season okra. Plant a row of both in your garden. You will get the normal 30 to 40 days of high paced okra picking from the early season okra. They begin to quickly wind down. The late season African X okra will then kick into high gear, and produce okra until a super-killing frost visits. This variety will do extremely well in places like Florida as this variety is a true perennial okra and will live and produce for many months. It begins to produce in 60 days, but needs 90 to begin producing on multiple branches. Plants have very stout branches usually 3 to 6. Plants grow to over 8 feet tall. In the tropics the plants can be pruned to induce further growth. Plants are very resistant to nematodes which are common in Florida for example. AfricanX loves to grow in pots also. I grow all my AfricanX in 10 gallon pots. Can be grown in smaller pots as well. Extremely ornamental and would make a wonderful addition to any green house. Pods are lime green in color with slight purple tinting on the ends. Pods are asymmetrical or ovoid in shape and are covered with a fuzz that is very soft. Pods are less slimy and thin walled. Delicious. Taste like okra to me! If you have questions please ask me. I have been at this for almost 5 years. It is time to share. Thanx

Oh bella, that was such a loaded question, you’re gonna be sorry you asked! Rudbeckias, now why hadn’t I thought of those?! I adore black eyed susans, sunflowers, and coneflowers.. Rudbeckias, the best of them all rolled into one! Can’t wait to see yours… and I’m wishing you better luck with your bachelor buttons/cornflowers – mine were so healthy in the cups.. but you’ll see: New Dimension Blue Salvia (slugs are loving only these, but a ring of epsom salts keeps them at bay. Candytuft below, this one is Snowflake, but I planted mixed colors as well. And below is Arizona Red Shades Gaillardia: Not an annual below, but purple alyssum (annual) And white alyssum (I toss seed into pots of geraniums, etc. They grow easily and quickly here. I hate trying to collect the seeds though!) Night and Day Snapdragons: Ok, Bella, here's one of my healthier poppies, Double Pink or Turkish Tulip here. Morning dew on it. (annual) Below is a giant maroon cockscomb (annual) planted in the 2nd larger bed next to my poppies. These are the only WS babies in it. I tossed annual seeds in this bed - sunflowers, black-eyed susans, malva, snapdragons, giant yellow zinnias, multicolored zinnias, marigolds, etc. We'll see if anything comes up in addition to weeds! Harold100 supplied me with many of these, as well as the Danish Flag Poppy seeds included in the 'poppy field'. Below are Forget Me Note, Water (pretty blue with pale yellow centers). More forget me nots. Had salmon colored ones, but WS'd too late. Double the Sun coreopsis below - planted several of these all round the house. Love bright yellows. Ah, here's the dianthus below, mixed colors. Kinda went crazy with these everywhere too! Makes me sad they last only 2 years, than kaput! So pretty. Butterflies love 'em as you know : ) Gonna hafta turn your head sideways for this one Bella! Remember the healthy cornflowers above? This is them, now. Some look worse. There is a poppy behind it to the left (to the right is just a weed). Our weather has forced early blooms on everything. This is only 6" tall and has a bud on it. And sadly, this is what many of my poppies now look like, yellowing or browning, and wilty. They have picked up since I mulched around them, and I'm not sure if you can see it, but there is some small new growth. I say, never give up till they are gone-gone. Some of which are : ( Maybe that 8 hours of being underwater did my cornflower and poppy 'field' in, but I'll never know... Until next year when I try again. In addition to what I've shown, as for the perennials, I've also got baby gayfeathers (not bulbs mentioned above), Blue Select Fescue (ornamental) which looks like a few tiny strands of regular grass I pull out of the beds - it's tucked away in a couple cups until big enough! Another ornamental grass doing ok is Savannah Ruby Grass. The grasses won't do much this year. Not so happy are my Physostegia - obedient plants. White and pink... only 3 tiny whites, one tiny pink. Too small to know if they'll survive. Also only one Robinson Red painted daisy - all these WS too late in the season. And no lupines or nasturtiums, also too late. I'm grateful my first WS year has been so amazing. Future bad years I'll chalk up to odd weather and keep at it! When my 'babies' are bigger, I'll post photos, without so much jibber-jabber : )