Here's a fall planting schedule from the Joy of Gardening that I've used for years. You must know your expected frost date and count backwards. These dates take into account changes in day length, sun angle and intensity as well as temperature. SEEDS ONLY: beans 7-10 weeks beets 8-12 weeks carrots 8-12 weeks chinese cabbage 6-8 weeks kale 4-10 weeks lettuce (not head lettuce) 4-6 weeks mustard 6-10 weeks peas 6-10 weeks radishes 2-8 weeks spinach 4-6 weeks tomatoes 8-12 weeks PLANTS ONLY: broccoli plants 6-8 weeks brussel sprouts plants 10-12 weeks cabbage plants 6-8 weeks cauliflower plants 6-8 weeks collards plants 6-10 weeks head lettuce plants 8-10 weeks Best of luck! Maureen

You can plant all the first mentioned veggies now, although the kale might mature better when planted in the summer for fall and winter harvest - they don't like it too hot so will poop out come May or so. The lettuce needs all the sun it can get now, but if you want it for summer, you have to give it shade. Leaf lettuces, rather than heading lettuces, seem to do the best for me - I just keep picking the outside leaves, so they never do head, if that's what it is supposed to do. Tomatoes might slow down when it gets too hot - most varieties don't set fruits above a certain temperature, but pick right up when it cools off a bit. I'm not sure why your friend said they don't do well, although there are any number of diseases that can kill them off, so some years they thrive, and some, mine struggle. I have better luck with cherry tomatoes than with full size ones, but that's my experience. One I whole-heartedly recommend is Matt's Wild Cherry, indeterminate, grows and produces prolificly until frost, and tastes wonderful, despite the small size!! The same problem CAN arise with cucumber vines, some of mine grow til frost and some poop out after the first few fruits. There are a LOT more diseases and bugs here than you ever met before, and the humidity can be a real problem in keeping mildew, etc., at bay. Plan for good air circulation around your plants. Bean vines do just fine, although since I grow mostly bush varieties I can't recommend any, but remember that you also need good air circulation around your AC compressor, so trellises or something that stays 18-24" from the machinery would be better than something right on the grids. The AC water is straight water, so should be no problem for whatever plant it waters. You might give thought to building a sturdy arbor over the compressor and planting grapes to give shade - muscadine, scuppernong and concord varieties do well here, better than most of the "European" varieties. That said, there are enough vineyards in my area doing well with the conventional wine/table grapes that I won't say you can't grow them. Another good shade fruit tree are figs - most varieties do really well, and will grow quite fast, so allow plenty of room, or plan to prune it back from the AC.

Haven't tried spinach or chard, but lettuce grows fine under fluorescents. I grew cut-and-come-again types in 4" clay pots and harvested a salad every week or two. They seem to like cool, fresh air. Spinach and chard should probably be harvested while the leaves are very young so that you can keep the lights close to all the foliage.

Yum, Bob, that sounds delicious. I'm guessing your guests were having a good time, as they stayed, LOL. Now, what are you going to do with all the rest of that squash? I have a nice recipe for a squash and poblano gratin, better suited to a smaller crowd. (grin) It came from "Food and Wine" magazine. Butternut Squash Gratin with Poblanos and Cream Food & Wine Magazine Serves: 12 6 large poblano peppers (about 1½ pounds) 2 large butternut squash (4 pounds total) peeled, seeded, halved and sliced into "half moons" olive oil salt and pepper 1½ tsps of thyme, chopped 1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly 3 large garlic cloves, diced 1 tsp oregano, chopped ½ cup of heavy cream ¾ cup of sour cream 8 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 8 ounces of queso fresco cheese Instructions Preheat broiler. Place poblanos on a baking sheet and place under broiler, rotate peppers until they are evenly charred. Transfer to a glass bowl, cover with a dish towel and let them cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the peel, stem, and seeds. Roughly chop the peppers into thin strips Adjust the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Toss butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper, and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Spread onto 2 baking sheets and roast until the squash is tender. About 25 minutes Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, garlic, oregano, thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. Add the poblano strips and cook until tender. Add the heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and season with salt and pepper Spoon half of the poblano mixture into a large baking dish, layer with half of the roasted squash, and half of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining poblano mixture, squash, and cheese Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is browning and bubbling. Allow the gratin to rest for 10 minutes. Annie