Area gardeners, question about growing season (garden, place, summer)

[Sherifftruman]

So, we have a small raised bed garden and have been planting it maybe 6 or so years. The last few years usually our cucumbers are dead and gone by September. This year though, the cooler temps and good rain has caused a couple vines to re-emerge (one from a place that we never planted cukes so must be from a bird dropping a seed) and they are now producing. Also, our peppers are producing longer than usual and tomatoes still going decently.

What is the normal production time for cucumbers and other veggies around here? WE have drip irrigation but now I wonder if we should be doing some type mist also for cooling as our garden gets sun about all day. Or maybe I could put up a 30 or 50% solar shade over parts of it to keep the cukes going. Or maybe I should just plant some seeds again every year in September for a second season. It will be interesting to see how long they produce.

I guess really should be a bit more thoughtful on what and when we plant.

[no kudzu]

You might take this specific question to the gardening forum and mentioning your zone. Many veggie growers over there would be willing to help. I mostly grow ornamentals except tomatoes in containers. Wish I could be more helpful.

[poppydog]

Tomatoes can go until frost. Most years that I have had a good crop I've been picking green ones off the night they called for the first frost. I never have had much luck with cukes until this year for some reason (mainly too much shade, I know), but I've got one plant that still has some baby cukes on it. I had a pepper go once until December. The first frost was late that year. You could certainly do a second planting in mid-summer of tomatoes and other warm weather crops to extend your harvest. You'd want to time it for the plants to reach maturity in late Aug or early Sept so it's still hot enough for the flowers to bloom and fruit to set. A lot of folks plant a fall garden in Sept and put in cool weather crops like lettuces and greens, broccoli, onions and garlic.

[dedratermi]

I've had both peppers and tomatoes (especially sungolds) go until first frost. Here, that could be any time between mid October and early December. I've never had much success with a fall garden. For one thing I don't like digging up my summer plants that are still heavily producing, to make room for fall plants. And by the time it finally cools off to the point where I start thinking about a fall garden, many times the growing season is too short.