Tom here from Stone Soup. The attached picture was taken today.  It is a picture of a cucumber plant without powdery mildew, without bacterial wilt, and still producing on August 30th.

One of the things I love most about gardening is that it is not an “exact science”.    Whether you choose to plant your veggies on the frost free date, on a full moon,  when the dogwoods bud, or after the rooster crows at midnight, it seems we all have a pretty good shot that if we plant a seed in the soil, and give it water and sunlight,  something will grow.

It is now August 30th and most of us have already pulled our cucumber plants.  When and why do you pull your cucumber plants?     My answer is: ” its up to you”.  Have they stopped producing?   Do you need the space?  Are you just tired of looking at them?  Are you planting your fall garden?

My point is many new gardeners, and even experienced gardeners can sometimes get caught up in planting dates, harvest dates, and doing things exactly right.  Mother nature has been doing just fine all these years and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t get too worked up if her fall beans are planted a couple days late.