As much as I hate to see it, summer is ending. We had a frost scare the other night and covered a few plants, but it didn't freeze here.

The University of Nevada co-op extension has an article in the RGJ today with lots of helpful tips for getting a little more out of your vegetable garden this season. If you'd like even more information (or if the RGJ has put the article in its archives before you see this), visit the  "Plant Season Extension in the Desert" fact sheet on the extension's site.

According to the article, "Climate of Reno, Nevada" by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was updated last month. Although the RGJ article says the average date of first frost is Oct. 3, the NOAA article says it is Oct. 19 when using more recent temperatures (p. 59).

By the way, my favorite place to check the weather forecast is the National Weather Service. You need to enter your city and state the first time, and then you can bookmark the forecast for your location. You get complete information (including hazardous condition warnings) without ads, and it's at least as accurate as any other site.

It looks as if we'll be having some beautiful weather for the next few days at least. Since we got most of our garden chores finished in August, I'll be doing odds and ends of gardening mainly as an excuse to be outdoors. I hope you're able to do the same.