As the frost sets in across our region, did you get what you wanted out of your garden, and if not, is it too late? 

If some of the things you planted this summer aren't quite ripe, there are things you can do, and even if you think it isn't salvageable, there is a way forward. 

The late-season tomatoes are right there, still green or just beginning to ripen, so the time to act is now. 

"You can harvest them green, as long as they're full size, or maybe a little smaller," explained Penn State Extension's expert gardener, Erin Kinley. "You can go ahead and pop those right off the vine and just bring them inside, and let them sit for a few days - they'll naturally turn red." 

Kinley said that if you lack patience or you aren't into fried green tomatoes, you can put a banana with them in a bag, and it will speed up the process. 

As the banana goes bad, it gives off ethylene gas, which is a natural plant hormone that acts as a ripening agent. However, be sure to use a paper bag, because it will allow oxygen in that will help in the ripening, while a plastic bag will seal out the oxygen. 

However, those tomatoes aren't the only things you might want to pick now that the frost has arrived. 

"You might still have some zucchini coming in, maybe some cucumbers, you could bring those in, too," said Kinley. 

Now, when it comes to things you can bring in, they include herbs like basil. 

"[They] really, really don't like being cold, peppers are quite cold-sensitive, too, so those are the things that I would consider covering with a frost blanket," she said. 

There are a few things you don't need to worry about, and they include things like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale. 

"They actually like a little bit of light frost," Kinley said. "They tolerate that very wet well." 

A good rule of thumb to remember is that anything you plant in June or July, when it's warm, those are the things that really don't like the cold weather. 

If you're able to get outside early, really early, before 6 a.m., you still will have time to go out with your unused and old sheets and use them as a frost cover, if needed.