Let me just say that the deer are more than welcome to my share :-) Okra, much like slugs or snails, is one of those organisms that I just have to question need for in life. IMO, it is not suited for human consumption and ya gotta wonder about that brave soul who first tasted okra and thought........."hmmm, this is a tasty, if slimy, green pod"!! They must have been starving!

In fact, I harbor a secret hypothesis that okra, slugs and snails are all somehow related........... :-)

and for a nickle.. she will tell you how she really feels about it .....

There are some indian recipes with okra that are yummy. No sliminess at all :)

i work under the belief.. that if the vermin [of any kind] ..... are hungry enough ... they will eat just about anything ....

but in my MI .. thats more of a winter thing.. i would be surprised this time of year .... they would be so food stressed ... meaning.. they dont have any alternatives ...

though we might be in denial ... it is October ... and the plants are either going to die soon [annuals/tender perennials] ... or are shutting down for winter ... whatever that is where ever you are ...

it is not really a time to be thinking that you have some soil deficiency ... that needs to be addressed ...

annuals dont need anything for winter ... and you can do more harm than good.. fert'g perennials ... when they should be slowing down ...

ken

Deer sample newly encountered plants that they may not return to later.

In my area, deer are much more aggressive grazers on landscape or garden plantings during the growing season. I see them much less often and notice no appreciable damage in winter so assume they are getting what they want out of the native vegetation that surrounds me.

I happily eat both okra and escargots.

>> Deer sample newly encountered plants that they may not return to later.

If they had only sampled them, fine, but they ate the entire salad bar. I think in about 2-3 visits.

It's going to frost tomorrow night so I didn't lose much production, but they were going gangbusters before this happened.

BTW I pickle most of my okra and it's not slimy that way. Besides it's one of the few things I can grow in my disease and pest-ridden neighborhood. :-\

notice no appreciable damage in winter so assume they are getting what they want out of the native vegetation that surrounds me

Actually, the widespread - including in our region - chronic problem with them hitting planted arborvitaes hard during part of the year is due to them routinely running out of natural food sources during northern winters.

"Actually, the widespread - including in our region - chronic problem with them hitting planted arborvitaes hard during part of the year is due to them routinely running out of natural food sources during northern winters."

Since the deer around me graze on arborvitaes just as heavily in midsummer as they do in midwinter, I hardly think the lack of other food sources is to blame. And there is certainly no lack of food sources here in midwinter either......elsewhere in the country with colder, harder winters and less natural vegetation, perhaps. Deer just like what they like and seek out those delicacies where they find them.