Funny it was actually in the high 80s here for the last 3 days-supposed to get to 90 tomorrow. I have some green beans and peas, a few tomato plants, cucumbers, squash, strawberry and blackberry plants, and some pepper plants for the spring garden.

Lea how is that tromboncino squash?

Richard, I used the two that my neighbor gave me just like a butternut. Seed cavity in the blossom end and then that whole long "neck" is just squash. By the time I had carried those things three-quarters of a mile home my arms were tired. They were heavy. I am trying some of the green ones like a zucchini.

Lea, I am from Texas, so deep fry everything. lol Think I might try some

Richard, really need a laugh emoji for that comment 🤣.

It's good to see fall gardens out there! Our summer garden is winding down now as I pull up all of the old melon vines and early tomato plants, our 1 white eggplant was exhausted too so thanks for the memories. The peppers are still doing well though. Yesterday I dug up the first sweet potatoes under the mother plants (just 5 plants this year) and they looked pretty gnarly. There'll be more SP casseroles this winter than baked potatoes.

The late tomatoes and cukes are coming in slowly but steady, all plants are showing signs of blight nibbling away at the lower stems but the greenies on top should ripen ok. The pears are very plentiful, we'll be canning pear sauce soon.
The fall crops are doing ok so far, the carrots just popped up and the broc/cabbage transplants survived the recent hot temps. The collards and turnips are looking good despite the tiny grasshoppers, luckily they're not a plague this season. Need some rain but our only chance may be a tropical system moving over the SE next Saturday.

Looks like our chance for rain was bumped back a few days, so now we should get a good soaking from the tropicalish east coast system on Tuesday/Weds, maybe up to 3". Today I weeded the young collards, turnips, and carrots, they will welcome the coming rain. Also picked more pears and had my neighbors come and help themselves. We plan to make Qts of pear sauce while it's raining.

Most of the late tomatoes are still green and the peppers are still producing. Picked the last late cuke as the plants die quickly, looks like the cuke beetles spread their wilt disease. The broccoli and cabbages are liking the recent coolish cloudy weather and should bulk quickly up with the coming rain. Have 3 small watermelons left in the spare fridge, 2 out of 3 may be sweet enough.

My peppermint plant is going strong on the porch. I dry the leaves for tea but I am the only one in the house that likes peppermint tea so I have alot left over. Anyone has any ideas other than tea to use peppermint for?

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Leah, your Tromboncino plant look awesome! I have been wanting to grow that one but have not yet. We have a squash bug problem here and I read that one has good resistance! If you wanna trade seeds of it, I have some Blue Hubbard squash seeds I could send you in exchange. I just make some pies with it, and it came out delicious!

The recent hurricane weather ruined most of my tomatoes so had to pull them up. My pink banana squash plants have male flowers on them now. Just waiting for some female ones. Basil doing good and I planted some cabbage this week. Will see how it does.

Everyone's garden sounds awesome! Hope we keep getting some goodies for a few more months.

Happy first day of Autumn! (up here in the northern hemisphere). Below are a few garden pics from yesterday.....

Broccoli & Cabbages...

Collards and young Carrots...

Sweet Potatoes, to be dug up before 1st frost..

Late Tomatoes hanging on....

Still picking Pears...

and a few Persimmons getting a hint of blush...

We're getting more rain here, about 1.25" last night but we were spared the very worst of the hurricane. The broccoli plants are leafing out nicely into big plants which should produce some big crowns later on. Presently I'm fighting off the cabbage loopers by hand picking them twice daily. The collards are pickable now and the turnips are getting close. More rain is expected thru tomorrow, maybe another 2" after which a sunny 70's dry spell will take hold for several days.

Vgkg, it is still over 100 degrees here-what a nightmare-having to water the fall crops every day-still struggling to keep them alive-only tomato plants doing good-no rain in sight

Richard, here we are-you need rain and we need rain out here and the SE has a catastrophe. We got 0.40" here and felt lucky to have that.

Vgkg I wondered if you would catch some of that torrential rain from Helene, glad you didn't.

I picked one of the Tromboncino squash young to use like a zucchini, it's very firm and mild tasting. That whole long neck is solid since the seed cavity is in the very bottom. I should try using it in a zucchini bread recipe, there wouldn't be any of the extra moisture that zukes have though. It would hold up to deep frying well I think.

Sharon, I would send you some seeds of it, just know that it is a monster of a plant! One of the runners is 25ft long and still growing (our weather has been good), another runner going the opposite way is almost as long, plus all of the other runners. It roots at every leaf node and can grow on from there. Do you still want seed of Pineapple and Kellogg's Breakfast tomatoes?

Lea

We picked up another 1.25" over night and it's still raining now although not too heavy. Just 15 miles south and west of us there are flash flood warnings where the rain has been more intense from the Hurricane leftovers. If it weren't for the recent past 3 tropical systems passing nearby us we'd be in a major drought too. This extented wet spell has been good for the fall crops but it has cut short the late tomato plants as they are blight infected to the extreme. Otherwise we've been dang lucky here.

Vgkg, i have cabbage loopers too eating on my squash leaves! I've been hand picking them as well and feeding them to the chickens. I noticed since I've been picking them this pass week, I'm only finding one or two a day now thankfully!

RD sorry to hear your still getting hot days. We been between the 80s and 90s. Its nice when a breeze comes along. No rain the last few days, but looks promising towards the end of the week.

Lea, let me know what other seeds you could use. I will check and see if I can help! I did not see the option to message you on your profile but you can message me I'm guessing? I can definitely use the pineapple and kelloggs breakfast tomato seeds. I appreciate your help 🥰 I wonder if the tromboncino would go up a trellis? If so that may be a good option for me.

Hi Sharon, yeah those loopers are driving me nutz too, have to check the plants twice a day to keep them under control and still miss a few which expose themselves the next morning, may have to resort to a little dusting as the cabbages are starting to form a head. The broccoli is looking very good and 2 of 9 plants now show a tiny button. If I can keep the critters at bay we should have a good harvest maybe by Halloween.
The pears are pretty much done now, just a few dozen clinging onto the top branches out of reach, sometimes I wish that I could levitate myself, nyuk. The persimmons are slowly turning orange now, not as plentiful as last year but good enough. Picking collards now and the turnips are bulking up. Pulled up 3 late tomato plants which succumbed to late blight, still have 6 plants hanging on. The carrots are shaping up nicely too. Looks like a sunny & dry autumnish cool week ahead here, upper 40's at night but no frosts yet.

Broccoli heads have and are maturing...also cauliflower. Dug the spring crop of potatoes...lots of large tubers. Late potatoes are dying down a fair amount now. I hope the mole did not damage a lot of roots earlier.

Banana squash coming along. Picked one large one curing now. Also one medium one as one of our dogs broke the vine it was on and had to pick early. My cabbage transplants from last month are still very small. Hope it improves soon! Honey melon vines climbing good on the fence, just waiting on the melons 😄