Chilly nights usually lead first to blackened basil, then to black stem tomato death. 2 of my small-leaved Basil plants are already indoors in mixed pot arrangements, near sunny windows to continue giving me aroma therapy, and leaves for meals.

Now is the time to enjoy a few sun breaks by doing some fall harvest season-extending and over-wintering of other plants that can make it inside. Begonia and Brugmansia are indoors, and will get rainwater as often as possible to stay healthy.

Last week I did the last compost feeding of outdoor plants for a rush of strong new growth. The rain washed that in and I saw an immediate response. I have been covering some tomatoes and peppers at night, this time using some old curtain sheers as a row cover.

This week I pruned tomatoes again, and tossed some apple peelings and old apples near tomato plants, hoping the gasses will help speed ripening of green fruit.

I think my experiments are working. I'm harvesting more ripened tomatoes now per day than I did all summer, which was rather sparse this year - I think due to high temps.

Last night I took big bags of seed to my Monday Pub, and doled out envelope after envelope of different fresh seeds to anyone nearby who wanted to try to begin an organic garden. That was great, and I'll do it again. A friend at another table was coaching parents of new puppies on their growth and how to be a good Master, as I was coaching budding gardeners.

Today I dug and potted up all outdoor Peppers, tapping the bottom of the pots on the ground to be sure soil fills in around the roots. The wind is beginning to blow, so I'll bring them in before dark.

I also dug coleus to bring indoors, and moved outdoor pots around a but to impove the display for fall, and to provide sunny-side shelter for some tender perennials. I removed English Lavender from pots and planted them in the ground...which gives me more pot space for the coleus, and will allow the lavender to grow to it's mature size.

Along the way, I pull weeds, and fill 5-gallon buckets with leaves and dried stems to do some basic clean-up near where I am working.

I've begun topping Aster, Sunflowers, calendula, allysum and other late summer, & easy re-bloomers, to try to stimulate more flower production during this blissful Indian Summer weather.

Now that I've had a break, I will change clothes, get on the bus to pick up some good coffee at Peets, have a nice walk to my frineds house, and harvest Dahlia blooms at Kathie's to keep hers producing while she's on vacation.

Leaves can stay right where they are, to show off color on the ground, till fall planting of Garlic and Catawissa Onions is done. I'm also planting spuds, and will mulch heavily with leaves to prevent rot, since I hear it is to be a mild winter.

I'm trying to cook as much as I can from the garden at least once a day, and am enjoying gleaned apples and pears in oatmeal or baked goods every few days. traders Joes had banannas for 29 cents a pound this week, so I tried to get greenish ones, as they'll have to wait till my the aging apples I got at last month's Alpaca-Ranch visit(for a fun doo-shoveling evet) are used. That box of yellow apples are beginning to show brown, do I need to eat one every day, and will be making applesauce and apple butter any day now - when alliums and spuds planting is done, or when a cold day hits. I really enjoy harvest cooking, & having cinnamon aroma in the house. Nostalgic goodness - all free.

I love sun-breaks in autumn.

What are other gardeners doing?