I grow a few from seed every year, since my plants produce lots. They take about 3 years to bloom, in my experience, so I'd recommend growing them in pots for the first couple of years with good light and occasional feeding. After the vines die down (they may not make it a whole season the first year - the vegetative growth seems to last longer each year as they get older, much like that of Arisaemas), I keep the pots on the dry side and above freezing. The following spring I moisten the soil and wait for new growth to start. My mature plants are grown in large clay pots which are set out around the bases of small trees, shrubs, etc. and watered in spring. They then use these for support as they grow (my favorite combo has them growing through a Franklinia and blooming at about the same time). Once the vines bloom, fruit, and die back, I cut them off and move the pots into the garage, where they spend the winter. I've built up enough stock to try leaving a few in the ground this year; they're marginally hardy here, but I wouldn't suggest doing that in zone 4. Hope this helps!

jak66,I do pull the spent blooms but only because of the shear weight of them,I havnt got the hibiscus staked so I'm afraid the blooms and the spent ones will be too heavy.I've gotten plenty of the immature seedpods like in your photo but I usually end up with some pods staying on the plant and developing seed,I will put you at the top of the list for fireball hibiscus seed this year,holler at me in the fall,I usually check the posts here and on the wintersowing forum..I hope yours sets seed for you this year..

Lots of great comments from everyone ... to which I'll add my own two cents ! 'Tradition' - indeed I learned about canning and preserving ( and many many other things ) as a young girl, spending lots of time with my own grandma. Now I am 'passing on' those canning and preserving skills ( and hopefully many many other things ) to my grand-daughter ! 'Food Quality' - Living in upstate NY, up until a few years ago there were commercial vegetable farmers offering all sorts of top quality locally grown vegetables at reasonable prices ... to the point where it was hard to justify 'growing your own'. However, in the last few years, between low priced Chinese / Vietnamese / Mexican produce sold by WalMart and FDA food safety traceability compliance issues for the commercial vegetable farmers, the farmers have switched to growing cow corn for ethanol refineries and soybeans for biofuel. What remains of 'locally grown' produce now carries an Organic label and sells at ridiculous prices. Thus today if you want to obtain 'quality' produce at affordable prices the only remaining option is to 'grow your own'. And canning / preserving what you have grown is an essential part of that 'value' equation. 'Rising Food Prices' - this summer's drought conditions are just a small part of the overall food price situation ... which is driven by global commodity prices for corn / soybeans / wheat / sugar etc. Speculator money has increasingly been flowing into commodities as a 'hedge' against EuroLand economic problems, US money printing etc., and prices for basic foods have already risen a LOT. However, food processors and food retailers have been reluctant to 'pass on' these cost increases to retail consumers for fear of 'sticker shock' ... meaning that the food processors and food retailers have been taking a hit to their profit margins. The point is being approached where the food processors and food retailers MUST pass on higher basic food / ingredient costs if they want to stay in business ... meaning that significant additional retail food price increases are already in the 'pipeline'. And obviously the higher that retail food prices rise, the easier it is to justify growing and canning / preserving your own high quality foods.

There are two Mr. Stripey's but I assume you're growing the large gold/red bicolor one. And my experience mirrors Bill's above as does the experience of quite a few folks in that Mr. Stripey often gives a srawny plant, not always, but often, and fruit production is not good, regardless of what the plant looks like. There are about 100 different gold/red bicolor beefsteak varieties known and Bill has mentioned Big Rainbow and I think that's a great variety. Bill, just a wee correction. Big Rainbow is not Amish although the Sunday supplement ads, etc., might represent it that way. It was introduced years ago to the SSE Yearbook by Dorothy Beiswinger of MN and has no known Amish connection. Mr. Stripey seeds have been widely distributed and the variety is often found in the big box stores b'c the seeds were originally given to Seeds by Design by the former owner of TT who was a good customer of that CA wholesale firm. SBD provides seeds of many OP varieties to many places, so that's how it got so widely distributed. As I recall, the variety was either from GA or SC originally, I forget which right now. And there are many other good gold/red bicolors. What they all have in common is soft flesh which means not good shelf life, and they are also affected by weather such that variety X grown one year may be sweet and lucious and the same variety grown the next year may be mealy and not so good. But they are colorful and great when they are great. Carolyn