Six on Saturday – 27AUG2022 – Feeding Time

Chris Mousseau

We were thankful for a day of rain last Monday, as well as a bit more Thursday night; a few more hot days are ahead of us but I think for the most part our now full rain barrel and butts should keep us going until the 2022 gardening season is done. The rain certainly perked everything up and nectar must now be flowing in abundance because the garden was full of bees and butterflies this week. Veggies, aside from tomatoes, which have had a pretty miserable year, are also producing in abundance and we’re enjoying fresh beans, chard, carrots, peppers and a few tomatoes with every meal. To see lovely flowers and plants from around the world be sure to visit the Propagator‘s site. For me this week, it’s all about food, for me and for a few of the pollinators that have visited.

First off is a raised bed with ‘Rhubarb’ chard and Nasturtiums. I really love the red stems and veins in this variety; it’s delicious as well as beautiful.

In another raised bed, a volunteer melon has wrestled control from the carrots, beans and onions that are only half harvested. I wasn’t sure what this vine was at first – springing up from the compost I added in early spring – but there’s now a half dozen small fruit quickly fattening up. Could still turn into a cantaloupe, I suppose…

I grew jalapeno peppers for the first time this year – starting from seed a mix of yellow, orange and yellow peppers. I was worried for the longest time because they were getting fatter and looking good, but were all green. Until this week, when, almost overnight, they started to turn yellow and orange. I wonder if that was also a result of the rain?

Now for some pollinator food…The first New England asters started to open last week – much earlier than normal but likely spurred on by a genetic desire to propagate before the summer drought done them in. The rain seemed to have halted the opening since there are still just a few blooms but I spotted this bee/hornet on one yesterday:

Strawflowers are also proving attractive to various pollinators:

Also opening a bit early are the perennials formerly knows as Sedum spectabile, now called Hylotelephium spectabile. While ‘Autumn Joy’ flowers are just starting to open, this purple leaved variety has been open for a week or so, attracting a lot of different flying insects, including honey bees. There are no commercial hives near us this year, so either a feral colony has started or these bees are traveling a great distance…

I know I’ve reached my SIx, but perhaps you’ll indulge me to celebrate the first swallowtail of the year – and not on the Zinnias! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Swallowtail butterfly on Tithonia

21 Comments

  1. This chard looks appetizing! You will have beautiful chillies . Have you ever tried tasting the green Jalapenos? ‘Cause it’s already hot and the longer you wait the hotter it gets. I often eat the greens and dry the reds to get powder for winter meals

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    1. It’s interesting how some/most butterflies will land on a flower and be still, but swallowtails just can’t stop fluttering their wings. Maybe they’re so large they’d lose balance and fall over if they stopped….

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  4. I’ve never seen a red or yellow jalapeno — what an amazement! We have some tiny peppers that turn every sort of color, and of course the bell peppers will, too. Is it simply a matter of picking time? Or are the yellow and red a different variety from those that show up in the stores?

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    1. There is no botanical name on the seed packet (from Renee’s Garden in California) but the description includes the words ‘baby jalapenos’ several times, while also saying they ‘ripen up to gold, orange & red,’ leaving me to believe ‘baby’ is actually fully grown.

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  7. Chard is one of those vegetables that I wanted to grow in the more ornamental front garden where I lived in town. At the time, we had only one variety, which looked just like yours. For the particular situation, I thought that it would have been the best, although I did not select it.

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  8. The chard looks amazing and so much more colourful than the plain green one we grow. I like Fred’s tip about the Jalapeño. It might be worthwhile for us to grow some. Love the pollinator flowers too, and the lovely Swallowtail.

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