Last December I wrote a post about okra and how I meant to center it in 2026. Spoiler: it worked out! Both in my own garden and in the Derwood Demo Garden, good-sized beds of different okra varieties produced abundantly and, in some cases, soared to the sky.
If you want those eight-foot plants making a dramatic statement, the variety here is Sherwood Red. It is not especially productive considering its height, but is a decent okra and you can’t beat the visual statement.
We also grew a variety called Louisiana 10-Inch Pod, which produces big green pods that actually are edible up to ten inches long. I’d recommend harvesting earlier, but this is a good one for infrequent harvests.
The standout to me was Okinawa Pink, which yields impressive amounts of dark pink pods that are firmer than most other okra. They are best for long cooking, as in any kind of stew, rather than for quick frying. The plants are compact (under four feet) so they are great for smaller gardens. Here are some photos:
I also had an excellent year for lettuce (that long cool spring) and sweet corn (that long hot summer). Peppers also did very well in my home garden, though we had some issues at Derwood (bed in too much shade, mostly).
In the spring, I grew Beas kohlrabi, which is a gorgeous pearly white and very tender. It makes a change from green or purple, or would be a good addition if you’re looking for a mix.
I’ve also gone back to growing dry beans (Jacob’s Cattle), mostly as a demonstration that it’s perfectly doable for home gardeners. Here are the beans harvested from the demo garden this year, getting extra dry on a rack before I stored them:
Admittedly, a 3’x3’ bed only produces less than a pint of beans, so this is not a survival strategy, just a bit of fun. If you happen to have a very large garden, though, you can plant a long row of dry beans and have enough for many solid meals during the winter. Make sure that the pods are thoroughly dry before harvesting, remove the beans from the pods, and give them another chance to dry inside the house before storing in jars.
I hope everyone had a successful 2026 growing season!
By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener. Read more posts by Erica.