I don't think I can answer all your questions. I'm in NH and since we are in a low lying area, we seem to always get a light frost around 9/18. I have a high tunnel and my best tomato and pepper plants are in there. (Didn't realize this was going to be a benefit in summer.) With protection (additional row cover and blankets), they survived that light frost.

Last week was summer again and although we got some rain this week, it didn't penetrate much. I see dry dirt in my vegetable beds under a thin layer of moist soil. Last year I have a note that by Oct 26, the flavor of tomatoes was diminished and it was time to let them go.

I don't think the ground freezes until much later in the year. I will get my garlic planted before the end of October. I do not expect it to sprout.

I would plant bulbs now. I bought 4 shrubs last week at a nursery season closing sale. I think I'm going to put them in a trench until next spring. The new shrub bed hasn't been readied yet.

I have a terrible problem with a creeping jenny weed that gets into the vegetable beds if not kept weeded. This means the squash bed is a mass of that weed. That needs to be covered with black plastic. The potatoes were dug last week but I want to save the straw for use in the high tunnel. I'll put grass clippings on the bed. I have a square vegetable bed which essential is two rows plus a path so I plan to dump some kitchen scraps that have been accumulating in a 5 gallon bucket on that bed. I am also increasing the side of some beds by doing some lasagna type layering. Next spring will top those areas with composted horse manure.

Need to weed and dig out some overgrown perennials from one bed (or do it in early spring). My circle bed finally got bordered by pavers so I need to finish straigtening out that bed. I have some perennials that need to be planted. I have some tall garden phlox in that bed and they like to take over. I might have the whole bunch dug out and plant the phlox elsewhere where they can spread. Need to think more on this.

I'm in Falmouth, on the 'upper cape' part of Cape Cod, and we got over 2 inches of rain this week, after no measurable rain in August and almost none in July. It was a great season for the businesses that rely on beach tourism, and great for all the visitors we had here at our house.

We haven't come close to a frost, and I don't expect one for a couple of weeks - but then I'm an optimist, our expected first frost is October 15. The ground doesn't usually freeze until early January, and I can plant late-blooming bulbs right until Christmas with reasonably good results.

I should be out there right now cutting back the sweet autumn clematis and ivy, which are such thugs here that they swallow everything else. I have 3 or 4 areas that need to be completely re-done, where grass, canadian anemone, or thyme have gotten such a foothold that mere weeding will no longer work. And, I suppose, I could be pruning some trees and shrubs, but that's worth keeping for a sunny day in January ...

I managed to get a lot of grass planted and growing a few weeks ago, and also turned my gigantic compost system, so I'm feeling pretty good about the end of the gardening season this year. Those overgrown and weedy areas can wait until spring, I guess.