Wow! I can’t believe September is over. It has been pretty much a whirlwind, and I feel like I’ve been neglecting y’all badly. While I can’t promise that October will be great, I hope to get a few more blog posts done in October.

The garden changed a lot in the last week, especially some of the greens that I did not expect to be so big already.

The Hyacinth Beans have mostly gone from blooming profusely to being covered with these big, glossy, purple pods. Technically the seeds are edible after mature if boiled in two changes of water. I, personally, have never felt that I wanted to take that risk.

The arugula (top left), has been harvestable sized for a couple weeks, but the Swiss Chard is really coming on strong. It’s definitely salad-size right now.

These are the Bachelor Buttons that we planted way back in August. They are really looking good. I doubt they will actually bloom this fall, but hopefully next spring! Speaking of Bachelor Buttons, I wish someone would definitively decide what they are supposed to be called. Bachelor Button? Bachelor Buttons? Bachelor’s Button? Bachelor’s Buttons? It makes my head ache.

One of our Master Gardeners brought this HUGE Pink Banana Squash into the office yesterday. It wasn’t quite ripe, so maybe not quite as tasty as it would have been left to ripen a little longer. (You can tell if a winter squash is ripe by trying to push your thumbnail into the rind. If you can slice the rind, it isn’t ripe yet.)

These are some “Micro Radishes” that I am growing for a Master Gardener class on “Spicing Up Your Salad Life.” These are the ‘Hong Vit’ Leaf Radishes that we grew in the Asian Garden last spring. With the beautiful pink stems and the slightly spicy radish flavor, they will make a great salad garnish!

I’ve also got some Bull’s Blood Beets growing for Micro Greens for the same class. Don’t they look gorgeous? It’s a nice way to get just a touch of beety flavor in a salad without having huge “punch you in the face” beet leaves.

Can you tell we’re getting ready for some fancy salads around here? Have a great weekend!