For some reason the tomato plants have grown new shoots, up from their older ones which are closer to the ground. I think this may be because of the past few days, where there has been hot weather again. Still, it was a surprise, and quite a sight to see all the fresh green growth standing in the garden in mid-September.

I picked most of the gourds today (15), as many of their leaves are dieing/dead. However, there still are some plants alive, and more gourds growing on them. The ornamental popcorn also seems to be done - the ears are much smaller than I expected, maybe three quarters of an inch across and four in length; they are colorful, but too small for popping.

Right beside the house is a patch of sunflowers, which have also done exceedingly well this year. The largest head measures 15" across at the narrowest line, and 17" at the widest. This plant is probably about 8' tall, but there is another that I estimate to be 11-12' high. Of course, now they are bending over, some by several feet, because of their large heads. The sunflowers in the old garden plot, which were planted earlier, have two plants with large heads, and the flowers are just starting to fall off the seeds underneath.