Summer may be packing its bags, but the garden does not always get the memo. Tomatoes can keep setting fruit, peppers can continue coloring up, and a well-established bean plant may still have plenty of pods hiding beneath its leaves when cooler mornings arrive.
That makes late August and early fall a terrible time for premature garden cleanup. Before yanking out every tired-looking plant, check what still has flowers, young fruit, fresh leaves, or new growth. A few simple changes can turn an aging summer garden into a surprisingly productive fall garden, although the exact timing depends on local temperatures and the first frost.
