From left, Alex Hurt, 15, a volunteer, and Elliot Herrod, 13, an eighth-grader at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, work on weeding the school's garden, which is full of produce because of the good growing conditions this summer.

Favorable weather conditions have many local gardeners and produce growers overflowing in fruits and vegetables this year.

A mix of consistent rains and not-too-hot temperatures have made this an above-average growing season locally, horticulture experts say.

“This is the kind of season that keeps a gardener coming back,” said Marlin Bates, horticulture agent for K-State Research and Extension in Douglas County. “Those folks who’ve been good about controlling pests and paying attention to soil-moisture status the past few weeks after the pleasant rains are reaping very, very large benefits from their gardens this year.”

He said growers have been “drowning” in tomatoes and have had a bounty of garlic, zucchinis and onions, as well. Peppers also appear to be in for a good season, he added.

School gardens in Lawrence have also been brimming with fruits and vegetables lately.

“Today alone, we harvested 160 pounds of produce,” Nancy O’Connor, coordinator for the school gardening program at West Middle School and Sunset Hill Elementary, said Tuesday. “It’s been a banner year for cucumbers. We’re just waiting for school to start so we can put tomatoes and cucumbers on the salad bars at school.”

O’Connor said it likely will be a record year for cucumbers and tomatoes for the school gardening program, which was established in 2010. “If the weather would just stay like it is today and it rains nicely a couple times a week …,” she said. “But this is Kansas, and it still is summer. We’re bracing for more hot, dry weather. We’re just grateful for what we’ve gotten so far.”

Over at the Lominska farm north of Lawrence, conditions have made for strong harvests for tomatoes, green beans, potatoes and onions, Joy Lominska said.

“More moderate temperatures and more regular rain make for happier farmers,” she said.

Lominska noted that while she’s seen better years in her nearly 40 years of farming — there was a late spring and drier-than-average conditions in 2014 — it’s still been an above-average growing season. She hopes it can continue.

“Temperatures like yesterday and today until the middle of September would be great,” she said Tuesday. “It’s going to be time to prepare soil and plan for fall soon. That’s really hard to do when it’s hot and dry and buggy, too. If temperatures are moderate and you get rain, it’s a lot easier to start your fall crops.”