Even though fall officially arrived this past Monday here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’ve had summer-like temperatures in Southern Oregon. In fact, we notched a record-tying 99 degrees on Wednesday, so those sweaters are staying tucked away a little while longer. And although fall is my favorite season for those crisp, clear days, as a gardener I’ve been thankful for all the sunshine and warm temperatures as I’ve still got a lot of veggies in the garden that need to ripen up.

This has been a good summer in the garden, with long stretches of heat and sun, and thanks to an army of tiny frogs, I haven’t had to deal with squash beetles or little green worms nibbling on my tomatoes and zucchini. I grow most of my veggies in three raised beds, but I’ve squeezed a yellow squash plant, a grape tomato and a Scotch bonnet pepper in amongst the perennials in a flower bed, along with some herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme) scattered here and there.

Every year we put in a few eggplants,  as my Greek husband likes to make pans of moussaka that we freeze for upcoming chilly nights. This year I have been thrilled with the output of a variety I hadn’t planted before. This Satin Beauty has delivered at least a dozen large fruit already, most of them weighing in at a pound or more. I just love those deep purple, shiny skins and those ovoid shapes peeking out from under the leaves. There are still more waiting to be used in my favorite ratatouille recipe and eggplant Parmesan . . . such a bounty!

I learned a long time ago to plant no more than one zucchini plant each year and to try to pick them before they get to baseball bat-size. With the help of our neighbors and daughter, we’ve managed to stay ahead of them and the yellow squash without alienating anyone! And everyone seems to appreciate those sun-warmed and -ripened tomatoes; we’ve been able to share them and still have plenty for ourselves for Caprese salads, BLTs and snacking. We got a couple of really large tomatoes off of the heirloom plant (one weighed more than a pound and a half!) back in early August, but the rest have just been slowly getting bigger and bigger but staying green. Finally, over the last 10 days or so, I’ve watched a pale yellowish tinge deepen towards orange, but they still have a way to go, hence my pleasure with our recent string of summery days.

We’re also enjoying an ongoing harvest of yellow bush beans that I planted in late July; they provide a nice break from all the summer squash! I’m hoping to continue the bounty from my garden into late October, as I sowed lettuce, spinach and arugula a few weeks ago and am watching the tiny seedlings sprouting with the help of sunny days and cooler nights.

The late summer/early fall days have also brought on my fall blooms, bringing bright spots of color as the summer flowers fade away. Some new dahlias are really starting to show off with large, full blooms, and the bees are all over my Autumn Joy sedum. The chrysanthemum buds are beginning to swell, and they will carry on into November, if I’m lucky.

All this glorious botanical bounty is one of the main reasons fall is my favorite season, with summer’s vegetables making their last hurrah while the cooler nights of fall brighten the colors of the flowers still blooming and the leaves of the trees. Here’s to all the gifts this generous season has to offer!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor