BETWEEN THE LINES: FIRST-TIME GARDENING EFFORTS BEARING LITTLE FRUITS

I think I've failed in my attempts to garden because my plants seem to be barren.

Up to now, my yard has been devoted to growing flowers, grass and the occasional weed. But this summer I decided to try my hand at vegetable gardening along with some selected herbs.

Something isn't working as planned, however. I'm better at growing weeds -- they require so little effort.

But I wanted fresh vegetables for the summer, so I picked spots that appeared to be full of the proper amounts of sunlight and shade for the little garden I wanted to grow. I chose simple plants -- tomatoes and green peppers, and only a few of each. No need to go overboard, I thought.

Each day, I faithfully water my four little tomato plants and three pepper plants. But at this rate, the best I can hope for is one tomato before the first frost. I'm not sure the peppers will even do much more than bloom. I certainly don't expect to find a pepper large enough to eat.

Most of my herbs are doing well, that is, after that first oregano plant was replaced with another, more robust variety. The mint has grown so well I had to separate it into two planters. With that success, I had hope for my gardening efforts.

But my vegetable plants are another story altogether.

Once the shade trees in the side yard came out in full bloom, the sunlight diminished. The rains have ceased and the heat is sweltering. But I continue to pamper my plants in hope of one -- just one -- vine ripe tomato. There isn't much better food in the summertime, in my humble opinion.

But so far, any tomatoes I've eaten have been purchased at the local farmers market or roadside stand. They've been delicious, mind you, but I wanted to eat something I'd grown.

After hearing tales about my dad's neighbors' garden, I knew I was doomed. Bill and Mary must have the greenest of gardeners' thumbs.

They grow almost every garden-variety vegetable and fruit, and they can or freeze nearly everything they grow.

When I visited my dad's home, dozens of jars of home-canned pickles lined the kitchen countertop. I'd barely missed the big pickling adventure, but more cucumbers were available from Bill and Mary's garden.

The next afternoon, we visited Bill and Mary to pick up more cucumbers and some green tomatoes. Inside those plastic sacks were more vegetables and fruits than I'd ever manage to grow. And this was just the leftovers.

Bill's tomato plants had produced so much that he had to pick green tomatoes so that some of the fruits could stay on the vine to ripen without the plant withering away. I was amazed.

I knew then the best way for me to enjoy vine-ripened tomatoes so abundant in summer was to visit someone else's garden. Got any tomatoes you can't get rid of? Call me. I'm not eating any of my own fruits.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.