unintended harvest

as i was watering the garden this evening i noticed that something ( someone?) has been into the sunchokes...so i dug up the exposed ones and i imagine i will be going out there soon to harvest the remainder...they all have to come out anyway... and i will need to dig another storage pit in the back yard for the campus tubers and those i harvest at home unless i want a backyard colony...the zea diploperennis is beginning to die back for the season...i really regret seeing this since there is absolutely no guarantee it will return next season...i will hope for the best and prepare for the worst...the hopi blue is pretty much done but the northern tepehuan is chugging along...still flowering...will there be seed ears? depends on the weather...the season is winding down...still some fall planting to do and mulching in november..always a bit of a melancholy time.