Watermelon and eggplants are warm weather crops so I don't think you should bother. Even cool weather crops should have been started by now. Start some lose leaf lettuce TODAY and you should have some by October, direct sow some radish now and they will be ready in mid September. It may be too late for carrots and broccoli but you could try if you want. Goggle cool weather crops for more ideas.

Sorry Rich, I meant the watermelon and eggie fruits are tiny, the plants are big and healthy, just took forever to blossom.
What do you think of beets? Worth it or wait till Spring?

There are lots of veggies you could direct sow now, for harvest anywhere from 3 weeks down the road right into November. Our first frosts usually aren't killing frosts, and many things like Snow Peas, Bush Beans, early Lettuces, Spinach, Mustard and other greens really thrive in cool fall weather.

Gotch ya, I have some melons that are less than the size of a softball, a couple a bit bigger so I'll race you to see if either of us gets to eat any. I had minmal luck with eggplants but don't give up just yet. Are you feeding the watermelon, if not it would help and hopefully they get all day sun.
As for frost dates they are just averages and can be well before or after the advertised date. I think mine is October 12th ish and last year we were growing into November because of the warm fall.

And oh yes do the beets plenty of time for them, very fast growers.

Donn it' not too late for bush beans?

Not too late down here, Rich. An early variety, like 'Provider' will be fully mature before the end of October if sown now, and if you're like me, and pick beans short and succulent,even quicker. I picked my last harvest of Bush Beans for Thanksgiving last year.

Bev, my bad I was thinking of radish not beets, never grew beets myself perhaps someone else will answer.

Thanksgiving huh, if I can find some around here I'll start some tomorrow. May have to use containers not much garden space left.

I don't grow them, because I hate them (except for the greens), but Johnny's says you can sow them up to 8 weeks before "regular heavy frosts," and still harvest small tender beets and greens.

Rich, the only potential downside to pod crops like Beans and Peas in the fall is a failure to flower, due either to too little sunlight, or too much cold weather. At worst, you've grown a good Nitrogen fixing cover crop, which can be cut down and turned into the bed.

Surely depends on your micro climate. For my area they say October 20th, but I have seen snow in the last week of September.
I know I can sow lettuce, swiss chard and spinach around this time for the late fall.
I was going to sow some beet and seeds and see if they will produce anything, as the spring sowed ones failed due to the dry summer we had.
For the warm weather plants that are still growing,I pulled 2 of the Fairytale eggplants that were not flowering well, and I pruned back the Charentais and Casaba melon vines so the later, smaller fruits (golfball sized) will get larger, but not put energy into the long vines. The bell peppers, I pulled one of the smaller sized ones that didn't have babies on it.
My pole beans are just starting, as I sowed them in mid June.
I plant by the moon, so now (dark of the moon) is the best time for underground veggie sowing.
Also, if I know there is going to be a heavy frost in last week of September, I cover my plants with old sheer curtains for protection.
If this fall and winter is anything like last year I will we able to harvest till Jaunuary, gees we had 60 degree weather till end of January. This was the most ususual fall winter we ever had.
I plant later in the spring becuase I enter into the largest fair on the East Coast which is the last full week of September every year.