Yes virginia there is vegetable gardening in the Fall.

As your corn quits or your tomatoes or peppers give out you can still make use of the vegetable garden.

Standard in the fall vegetable garden are all the vegetables related to cabbage. First in Modesto is broccoli. this is one of the most dependable fall vegatables and late August and september through October is the time to get them in.

Cabbage is also seccessful here A little more difficult are those Brussels sprouts that mothers everwhere try to get their kids to eat.

If there is something that kids do like are the edible pod peas that love the fall season. When I have grown them I never grew enough to actually get them into the kitchen. The kids and I always tasted them gone before they made it.

Leaf vegatables like lettuce and Awiss chard do well now. If you haven't grown the multicolored Swiss chard they look great in the ornamental garden as well as the vegatable garden.

Later we will have onion plants for Stockton Red, Fresno white and yellow onions.

From seed turnips, carrots, peas are just a few of the easy to grow fall vegetables.

In any case there is something for every one in the fall

Happy vegetating.

You don't need acres of ground to experience the taste of freshly picked fruit. Besides the obvious choice of fruit bushes, single fruit trees make wonderful accent points in a mixed border with their spring blossoms and summer fruit. Apple trees on standard stock, and persimmon make wonderfule shade trees over 30 ft tall.

Anothe form to consider is the espalliered fruit tree, which can be grown flat against a house, wall, or a fence. Branches are trained in regular patterns, usually horizontal or fance shaped, which actually improves fruit production.

Genetic Dwarf tres grow very happily in large pots or barrels, or you might want to consider a dwarf apple tree that only reaches 6 to 8 ft. Of course another popular fruit for pots on your patio is citrus. Lemon and lime trees do especially well in large pots and the fruits are readily available for refreshing summer drinks. Remember "dwarf" citrus are grown on rootstock that only afects the mature size of the tree - not the fruit!

And don't forget fruit when looking for a vine for your arbor. Grape and Kiwi vines will provide a dense coverage of large, fresh green leaves every summer, and you'll have the added bonus of the fruits.

Fruit doesn't have to be grown in an orchard, what could be better than picking your own fruit from your own tree?

If roses are to go on blooming into the fall, they need some attention now.

With the last feeble rays of the summer's setting sun, a garden tranformation takes place. The brightly colored flowers that sizzle in the noon-day heat, suddenly disappear into the background. Meanwhile those pale colored flowering plants are about to become gleaming stars in the spectacle of the night garden. In what might be the most amazing transition in garden appearance, prepare to spend some of the balmy night hours outside getting acquainted with a side you never see of your garden.

White, cream or yellow flowering plants literally jump out of the muted green growth to create a new & dramatic experience. Along with the pale colored flowers, plants with foliage of grey or silver become more interesting and iridescent under night lighting. Because it's the leaves of these plants that reflect light, you can enhance this feature all year-round with the simple addition and manipulation of garden lighting.

Among the many 'stars' of the night garden, you might consider the White Guara, whose flowers hover above the shadowy foliage and light the night like dancing moths Shasta Daisies sparkle like stars in the night sky, even drifts of petunias appear to glow. Calla Lilies with their snow-white flowers can produce a wonderful night show. Consider the double blessings of the gardenia on a mild night - fragrance & beauty. An excellent suggestion for a ground cover would be Snow in Summer (CERASTIUM tomentosum), a glowing sea of white in the evening garden. On the fence and arbor, consider Star Jasmine, which can create the impression of an ocean of fragrant stars touching your garden. Honeysuckle's fragrance perfumes the air and the annual Moonflower (IPOMEA alba) with its huge white trumpet flowers graces us at dusk, releasing a light perfume through the night air.

And don't forget the shades of silver & grey. Santolina, Artemesia, Lamb's Ears and Dusty Miller all add a dimension of their own in the pale moonlight.

Remeber, the moonlight garden is always waiting for you longafter the day at the office is finished, the dishes washed and the children tucked in. Take a moment to wander outdoors and get acquainted with the garden that waits there.

Portions of this article come by way of our friends at Master Nursery Garden Centers. Thank You!

Ic Berkshire has an excellent article on Introducing Kids to Gardening. There as some great ideas for fun projects, especially as most parents still have a month to go before school starts. Got to find something to keep them busy!