Well, I'm supposedly zone 8 (recently looked at the USDA site and have been upped to zone 9) and I have yet to harvest anything but some squash, a couple of cukes and a few sungold tomatoes! I still have lettuces and chard from the winter garden (soon to bolt!)
My tomatoes, eggplant, peppers are just getting ready to ripen, the EP and Peppers are just now flowering!
I don't understand all these people in zones 5,6,7 saying they have these huge harvests, when I'm in zone 8-9 and am just STARTING to get my veges!?!?
Any mediterranian area gardeners care to pitch in?

Yep I've pulled quite a few things and readied the area for fall planting which starts in August here. I can't wait for the lettuce, spinach and chard time of year. Fall is always the best growing season in this part of Texas. Less bugs, and late frosts make it just wonderful.

I'm one of those in 7 who's had a great year, but it's over for the most part. Powdery mildew and the heat took their toll on everything. I've got some fall things in the ground now and some to transplant later. I only hope August is not too brutal or I'll have to start them again.

I am getting ready to clean things up somewhat. Last year I trimmed and salvaged some of my tomatoes that produced until the end of the year so I hope to do that as well. I have some later planted tom's that I hope will serve us well this fall. My garden is really weedy and lots of Bermuda grass. I'm in the TX Hill Country...Kerrville to be exact.

I guess zone 11 (So. Cal, oceanside) would be "mediterranean-like" probably. My "name" above says 9_10 but that's an old zoning system that has been modified since then.

This climate is a bit frustrating - because of the extreme fluctuations in temps at about this time. Everything looked promising - tomatoes, peppers waiting for more heat, as we have several months of ocean fog to deal with. Then, of course, when the fog rolls out permanently, the plants have a difficult time adjusting to 90 degree plus heat, full sun conditions.

It is a scramble, at best then, to get heavy mulch and/or shade covers over things. I did get quite a few cucumbers for pickling though, and my zukes were OK, too, but the nice Hubbard squash vines may not survive the heat to grow big enough to harvest.

I vowed next year to build some scaffolding to hold shade material - simple enough to erect so as to be ready for a quick toss of shade netting -

So, at this time of year, it is good to size-up the year's mistakes and perhaps thwart them next year.

All-in-all, my gardens yield more as time goes on, so must be learning something by each years reflections - at least I'm getting a breather before I start my annual trip to the local mountains for some peaches, pears and apples to preserve.

Most of our climate stone fruits are canned or eaten, except for a few figs, almonds, macadamias, and the peppers, and big pumpkin/squash are still to be done, with cherry toms being dehydrated now.

Otherwise, I'm looking forward to fall clean-up, shredding the last vines, and general maintenance. Our October fire season will be on us soon, and it's a good idea to get the dried stuff cleaned up before then.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Here's a zone 5 with not much to speak of in the way of harvest. One lonely strawberry yesterday.

The lettuce and parsley are going like gangbusters, though. I think that I might have inadvertently planted my fall garden back in May.

Not every zone 5,6, and 7 gardeners are getting huge harvests! I think I'm with you ninjabut... I feel like my harvest season is just starting this year! I've been enjoying cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini but my bigger tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are just starting to ripen, and my tomatillo plants are dragging their feet and waiting for warmer weather (I think). What a strange growing year across the country! Good luck to everyone, whether you are finishing summer harvests, or in the midst of them!

I'm in zone 10 (Santa Clarita, CA) and my garden is just starting to get into full production. My cukes are just starting. I haven't harvested one yet. I've been harvesting tomatoes for a few weeks now but most of the plants are just starting to have ripe fruit. The squash and zukes have produced a little so far but look like they are upping production now. I have some other squash and zukes that are just growing their first female blossoms. My peppers (cayennes, bells, cubanelle, banana, anaheim)have produced a harvest of peppers but the plants are just now getting some size to them and blooming again. My jalapenos look like they are just starting to grow. My Okra just started producing and my eggplants just got some size to them and I harvested one so far. My chard is growing well.

I don't understand why people are pulling their stuff out in the hotter zones. Our temps have been 100+ daily and my garden is in containers in full sun all day. Other than some of the squash wilting during the day, everything seems to be doing fine. Is that because I planted later than most people? I planted in April/May.

Ania

My first planting of cukes is about spent and the mildew is overcoming the first summer squash too so I'll probably replace them with bush beans this weekend.

Younger, more vigorously growing plants are more productive than the worn veterans of the borer wars with their load of mildew and the scars of damage from the squash bugs and said borers.

I'm in Zone 7b/8a TX where we have had 100+ temps for a month or more and no rain to speak of for the last year. My water bill was $200+ last month.

I did cleanup on beds that are finished (onions and garlic) and have begun to plant a Fall garden. First time ever for corn; stuck some black-eyed peas on the edge of that bed. Put small melons and pumpkins where the onions had been. Have pulled all the summer squash from one bed and looks like I might as well pull the melons on the trellis...I think the heat or our highly-chemicaled water has done them in. Need to plant more summer squash...Tuesday suppose to be a good moon sign so plan to get them in that day.

The aphids have attack small melons and eggplants this year...I will be lucky to have any cantaloupe at all.

I'm planning to redo some of my beds; add shadecloth and cattle panels to shade more beds (hope to make my garden a lil cooler!).

Carrots have done great and very pleased with our first year with strawberries and eggplants. Blackberries have looked bad all year and only a few berries. The blueberries we put in this Spring are looking great much to my amazement! Swiss Chard of Geneva has not done as well with our heat as the one I grew last year (name unknown). Peppers have looked sick from the get-go...must have planted too early or they had a pest or something I could not see on them. I used Bug-Juice drench on some and one has nearly jumped out of its container with so much growth and is putting on blooms like crazy. Have more Bug-Juice brewing right now!

I hoping for cooler temps (we are getting sprinkles today and the cloud cover has us in the 90's) so the tomatoes will continue to make...have had some really good ones this year (last year was a flop for everyone in our area).

Happy Gardening!
Peggy

I'm in zone 8 and my late planted spring plants are really just getting going. I have okra I'm harvesting every day, tomatoes turning (I pick just as they start to blush, as I've been finding bird holes in them if left too long) I have eggplant just starting, my cuccumbers went wild and I have put up 10 quarts of pickles, Squash did better this year than last, but I still lost several plants to SVB..I had squash bugs too and hand picked the eggs daily. and either squished or gave the adults a soap bath. I have melons growing well, and a few giant pumpkins still gaining momentum..so I still have a while before I'll be pulling it all up.

Fortunately, what I have been able to do is to replant stuff where the earliest stuff was and has finished (ie: corn, cabbage, I had bunching onions, potatoes and beans that all did well.

I'm planning to do cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, chard, lettuce and turnips, for fall.

I too have some raised beds that needed some OM help, so I'm building them up now.

Seems to be going much more effortlessly this year, compared to last year for me...I must be learning something here :)

I spent most of yesterday pulling the last of my tomato plants and prepping some beds for Fall. Fortunately, I have a Stupice and Black cherry in another part of my yard that might give me a few more tomatoes and my pepper plants are still yeilding some. I've had my Fall tomatoes in the ground for about a week, but some them are getting severely attacked by flea beetles.
Since we are having some cooler and rainy weather this week, I decided to go ahead and plant some early prolific straightneck squash, Ky Pole beans, Blue Lake pole beans, and bush beans. Later on, I'll plant Spinach, lettuce, carrots, beets, and mustard greens for the Fall garden.

I agree with Shebear, the Fall garden is a pleasure.

Posted by holly-2006: "...I think that I might have inadvertently planted my fall garden back in May."

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I am right there with you! I'll be lucky if things mature before our first frost! Still harvesting lettuce and it hasn't bolted yet.

Rachel
My Blog: GrafixMuse's Garden Spot

Add a second to Shebear's comments. Fall (for me) is the most pleasurable garden to plant. There are fewer insects, less heat, and fewer weeds. Secondly, the brassicas, lettuces, spinach, onions, carrots, radishes, all do far better when planted in the fall. Plus these are my favorite veges. I've always said that I were to only plant one garden each year it would be the fall garden. August starts the fall gardening season for me.

Zone 7 container gardener here, experiencing the 'daily wilt' every afternoon. We are in the dead of summer, and I have to water constantly! Great production nonetheless. I planted a few fall vegetables and hope to plant a few more in Aug & Sept.

I do dread winter already ~ I absolutely hate the months of December-February, maybe even Nov-March. I keep reminding myself that those awful winter months are so much worse than this heat LOL. So it's really not that bad right now, at least we can still grow things, versus the winter. :-)

We're just getting going on the warm-weather veg, but the lettuce and spinach have all bolted. Picked my first cukes this week and the last of the peas. Lots of green tomatoes. Keeping fingers crossed for a late frost.

Sowed lettuce for a fall crop: Black Seeded Simpson, Curly Black Seeded Simpson, Green Ice and the leftover Red Sails seed. All have sprouted and coming along nicely. Fall sowing of beet seed rallied from an attack of some bug on the new sprouts. The Radiccio is up but struggling a little and the new Romaine Lettuce transplants are taking off. Something was munching their leaves early on.

Still waiting on a ripe tomato (lots of green ones) and sweet green peppers. Violetto Trionfo beans are beautiful purple on the trellis, been picking handfuls every other day for supper. Cuke plants continue to produce but I'm noticing more and more sad and yellow leaves. Red onions appear to be getting big under the ground, I'm always tempted to pull one just to check.

I was just going to rip the pole beans out when we got a cool spell - 80s in the day high 60s at night, and voila! new blossoms with beans coming on. I will wait for those before I go ripping. Also, my melons and squash have new blossoms (alas no females) so if there is nothing in the next week or so, out they go in prep for the fall stuff. Had beautiful cabbages this spring and will try more as well as radishes and beets. Of course spinach and lettuces. Had a nice couple rounds with the toms, both cherry and big, so am pretty happy with that. All in all - I guess it is pretty ok this year!

My first crop of Blue Lake beans are done. Put the 2nd crop in the ground Saturday. Garden plot is 8 ft x 8 ft maybe. Got 70 pints of canned beans out of it. I am single & only eat the beans on weekends with a steak or if I have a girlfriend over so the pint jars work really well for me.

The Silver Queen corn I planted on April 11th is almost done. The ground may have been a little too cold when I planted it. Took FOREVER to come out it seemed. Was rearing to go because it was warming up & I go bonkers in warm weather when there is dirt outside with nothing in it growing!

My maters ( Big Boy ) are starting to produce. The plants are over 7 feet tall & bunches of green ones are waiting to turn red. Bell Peppers are smaller than the maters. They have been shielded from the sun by the sheer size of the tomatoes growing near them but I do see a few on the branches.

I would REALLY like to try to grow some Hickory King corn in the patch where the Silver Queen is growing ( After it`s done ) this year but I don`t think I have time. Sad. Never grew it before but would LOVE to see how tall that stuff gets! :) I have seen pics of Shots patch & I drool when looking at what he has grown!

When the next beans come in, I am going to stick turnips in the ground. That should be about mid October.

Gardening for me is like I drug I can`t get enough of. Wish I could bottle the feeling of joy & happiness I have from it & sell it. I would be a millionaire! Hehehe!

My project for this week is a small hydroponic raft system for lettuce. i've been having trouble getting out there more than twice a week to water which is really not enough for lettuce in the summertime. Feeling a little weird about eating something grown in Miracle Gro and water tho'.
Radish and bush beans are out and have been replaced with a variety of summer greens including Komatuna, amaranth, chard, and others. The raised bed i usually plant greens in has been taken over by sweet potato so i am interested to see how they fare in the ground.
Right now i am picking yard-longs, wing bean, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, Senposai and lima beans. The cherry tomatoes and a few of the eggplant are nearly a year old now! Oh, and a small harvest of ridiculous tiny onions. Having a little problem with the regular tomatoes but hope to get that under control soon.
Fall planting won't start for me until after the equinox.