Even though the season has "ended", I'm still busy. Finally have some time to respond to everyone and thank you for all your kind words.

To NY biker: your kale may have been bitter with very strong green taste. Leaves picked may have been full size and very mature and in the heat of summer. We pick our kale when they are either baby sized (smaller than a palm of my hand) to something around 4 inches long. So even in the heat of summer, it doesn't have time to develop the really strong green taste, or the bitterness or the toughness. Ours tend to be mild and tender. If you have a chance give it a try with baby kale. They are easy to grow even in small pots.

To Eden: yes when I said professional photographer I was thinking of you. And yes I would love to have you and your husband down at our farm. Bring a big cooler with you when you do come down. As for your tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are a better bet for ripening if your season is short or on a cool side. Beefsteak and larger one takes much longer to ripen so stay with cherry tomatoes. For a spectacular cherry tomatoes, check out Sunrise bumblebee or Pink bumblebee tomatoes. If you want, I will have some nursery stock for you.

Our peas didn't do well at all either.

If you have a shady area, try some loose leaf lettuce. They can be cut and allowed to grow back unlike iceberg style.

And this time of the year, may even try spinach or miner's lettuce. Both are very cold hardy. And for the photo op. I hope to be in a better situation next "spring" Feb-May and even into the height of summer.

hmmm I spied on some ripening ludicrously hot peppers: Fatalli, ghost and milder ones like thai hot, and cayenne. They are being transplanted into our refurbished/revamped greenhouse.

Of all the years of growing, 2016 was one the worst and the HARDEST in terms of the weather vagaries. 2017 will be much better, I'm sure of it.