Okra Paradise Farms

Okra Paradise Farms We grow vegetables, fruits, and pine trees in Lowndes County, Georgia, half way between Atlanta and

Garter Snake 2025-12-13This Eastern Garter Snake was just lying in the driveway.[Garter snake]I left that Thamnophis sir...
12/14/2025

Garter Snake 2025-12-13

This Eastern Garter Snake was just lying in the driveway.

[Garter snake]

I left that Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis there.

Next time I walked by, she had moved on.

Supposed to freeze tonight and tomorrow night. Probably won’t see many snakes the next couple of days.

-jsq

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9949

12/13/2025

Canebrake Rattlesnake 2025-12-10

This canebrake rattlesnake would have been hidden, but he wanted to be sure we knew he was there.

We being me and River the Carolina Dog (that’s a breed).

River wanted to investigate further, but came back when I called.

A Crotalus horridus is nothing for a 73-pound dog to mess with.

Videos by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms.

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9945

Spider in laptop 2025-11-29Preventive debugging.[Bug prevention]I think it’s a wolf spider.Seldom see it poke its head o...
11/30/2025

Spider in laptop 2025-11-29

Preventive debugging.

[Bug prevention]

I think it’s a wolf spider.

Seldom see it poke its head out.

It’s been in there for years.

-jsq

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9928

Tis but a scratch 2025-11-26Whilst mowing up some privet that had grown up since Hurricane Helene, the 18-inch Ego elect...
11/28/2025

Tis but a scratch 2025-11-26

Whilst mowing up some privet that had grown up since Hurricane Helene, the 18-inch Ego electric chainsaw fell under the tractor mower.

[In a bucket]

Turns out if you shatter a lithium battery, the pieces get very hot.

After I put out the several grass fires, in the bucket is what we collected.

I think the black knight said it best:

“Tis but a scratch.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmInkxbvlCs

-jsq

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9925

Banana plants after the freeze 2025-11-23Banana plants do this when frozen.[Gretchen with her banana plants]Not to worry...
11/24/2025

Banana plants after the freeze 2025-11-23

Banana plants do this when frozen.

[Gretchen with her banana plants]

Not to worry. They’ll come back in the spring.

Meanwhile, Gretchen will lop their heads off with a machete. She says that makes them grow back better.

We did get some bananas to eat with breakfast.

-jsq

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9922

Cutting Sugar Cane 2025-11-09A freeze is predicted for tonight, so yesterday we cut the sugarcane and bedded it down for...
11/10/2025

Cutting Sugar Cane 2025-11-09

A freeze is predicted for tonight, so yesterday we cut the sugarcane and bedded it down for the winter.

That means we buried it a few inches deep to keep it from freezing.

But we kept some cane for squeezing juice to boil to make cane syrup.

River helped. The other dogs thought it was boring.

[Cutting Sugar Cane, Some to squeeze and boil for syrup, Most to bed overwinter, to plant in the spring 2025-11-09]

Gretchen explains:
https://youtu.be/Pk1unm9K1nU?si=6R49ymVJQ-O4jEqf

Many more images below.

-jsq

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9917

Garter snake 2025-10-09This small snake was in the front driveway.You can tell by comparison with the pine straw that th...
10/14/2025

Garter snake 2025-10-09

This small snake was in the front driveway.

You can tell by comparison with the pine straw that the snake is quite small, maybe 8 inches long.

[Snake with pine straw, sand, and pebbles]

I think it’s an Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis.

What do you think?

-jsq

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9910

Two kinds of persimmons 2025-10-09Evidently we’ve been mis-identifying our persimmons.[Two kinds of persimmons]The proli...
10/14/2025

Two kinds of persimmons 2025-10-09

Evidently we’ve been mis-identifying our persimmons.

[Two kinds of persimmons]

The prolific persimmon tree has acorn-shaped fruit like the red one here. Those are apparently Hachiya persimmons.

The younger tree with only a few fruit not yet ripe has flat-bottom persimmons like this yellow one. Those appear to be Fuyu persimmons.

See, for example, this GrubMarket blog post, Fuyu vs. Hachiya: How to Use California Persimmons.

They’re both varieties of the Oriental persimmon, Diospyros kaki.

-jsq

http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9908

Address

6565 Quarterman Road
Hahira, GA

Telephone

+12292420102

Website

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