The fall garden continues to grow well, but it is still very dry. The garden did receive about 1.7 inches of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene about 10 days ago, but it has since turned very dry and the garden had to be watered again yesterday. The first harvest of fall broccoli took place on October 5th. The two heads were a little bit smaller than I would like to see, but they were still very tasty. There are many more heads of broccoli in the garden that should be maturing over the next 2 to 4 weeks. Harvest continues on the late planted bush green beans, but this planting looks like to be about finished out. There are still some pole green beans that are getting to harvestable size. The peppers continue to produce, although the cooler temperatures have slowed their growth. Lettuce has also been harvested several times over the last few weeks. The kohlrabi, cabbage, and cauliflower plants continue to grow well.

Harlequin bugs have become an issue, mainly on the brussels sprouts, but they are starting to move to my nearby broccoli and cauliflower plants. This is the first time I have seen these bugs since I have been gardening in Indianapolis (about 30 years now). They are quite the nuisance bug, which attack mostly cruciferous crops. Apparently, they have been gradually spreading north over the years and now have found their way to Central Indiana The best way to control these bugs, at least for me, has been to hand pick them off the plants. They have done some moderate damage to my brussels sprouts, but mostly on the leaves and not to the forming sprouts, as far as I can tell. Here are some interesting links about the harlequin bug:
https://extension.psu.edu/invasive-insect-harlequin-bug, https://www.gardenia.net/pest/harlequin-bug