Growing okra for the first time.

[hackersid]

Hello,

Guys I have recently gotten back into the gardening scene and I have always wanted to grow Okra and now I am really thinking about it.

As I live in an apartment (Karachi), I will be using pots. I am going to get my supplies in 3-4 days so if anyone can point out specific items that I might need for growing Okra, that would be really helpful.

I still haven't decided if I am going to plant these indoors or outdoors. For outdoor option, I only have a small balcony which receives about 3-5 hours of sunlight each day. For indoor option, I will have to do a proper setup for lighting so I will have set my budget accordingly. Also, will have to keep electricity bill and load shedding in mind.

Anyways things I am going to buy :

• 1.) Plastic pot (clay pots seems to absorb a lot of moisture from soil so I am going to get plastic pots this time)
  2.) NPK fertilizer (I have no idea where to buy this from or which brand to buy, but I have heard there are some shops near purani sabzi mandi in karachi, so I'll be paying them a visit)
  3.) Compost (From the same purani sabzi mandi shops I believe - someone suggested "2 in 1 - compost" by Kaizen)
  4.) Bhallu Matti (From some random nursery)
  5.) Cow manure (From some random nursery)
  6.) Coco coir (I am not too sure from where I will be acquiring this, I believe nursery might have some)
  7.) Perlite ( I have no idea where I will get this from...but this has been suggested on alot of forums)
  8.) pH tester (I am told that maintaining pH levels in the soil is very important for plants especially this one. I will be visiting Saddar in hope of finding a pH meter but don't know for sure if I'll get lucky or not.)

For now, these things are in my list. Please let me know what you guys think or where I can get these items from or what will these items cost approximately. This will be my first time gardening experience in Karachi so I am kinda worried and excited at the same time

Can't wait to grow some Okras. Fingers crossed.

Regards,
hackersid

[Farhan Ahmed]

You have done your homework well...should go well. Perlite/coco coir etc is not required generally and especially for vegetables.
You can find these stuff however from Saeed Store Empress market/ or gizri branch or impex close to shifa hospital.

Okra seeds should be started around February as they are heat loving plants. Soak them in water for couple of hours of quick germination.

[hackersid]

Thank you for your reply.

I see, well I plan on visiting Empress market in a day or two, hopefully I will get most of the items on my list there.

Regarding Perlite/Coir, isn't it good to add them in soil regardless of fruit/vegetable or flowers, making the soil more airy and giving better water drainage ?

I'll be using paper towel method for germination. I have heard the germination rate is better with this method. Is it true?

[Farhan Ahmed]

Perlite is damn costly. On a small scale, you can try other wise very uneconomical and unnecessary.

[hackersid]

Okay I got some seeds today :

Green Chilli :



Cabbage :



Okra :



I have just started the "paper-towel" germination method. Will be buying some local nursery pots for them tomorrow (I still haven't gotten the chance to get all my supplies)

Hoping they will sprout soon!

[hackersid]

Okay update :
Okra : 4 out of 8 okra seeds have germinated successfully, the rest might germinate by tomorrow.
Chilli : Nothing so far.
Cabbage : 2 out of approx 15 have germinated

Planted the cabbage and okra seeds in pots today although I am not satisfied by my soil. Its local nursery with cow manure.

[Izhar]

cow manure and plain baalu mitti works best for leafy vegges... for fruiting varieties you have to give NPK after bloom formation... full sun whole day is also must for good yield...

[hackersid]

Cow manure is really hard and there are "mitti k dallay" in it. Do I need to break all these "dallays" before putting them in pot?

[Izhar]

Always buy moist manure... it is easy to work with and contains lots of active beneficial microbes

[hackersid]

Well then I guess I need to visit some good nursery because the one in our locality just has one type of manure i.e. the hard one.