In my garden ...

I can grow tomatoes.

Where nothing else is thriving, I have a great tangled mass of fuzzy vines, producing gobs of bite-sized fruit.

In spite of my lack of gardening prowess, or perhaps because I'm not paying attention, the seeds sprouted, the plants reached for the sun and the blossoms gave way to a plentiful harvest.

A friend has a bumper crop of squash this summer. I planted zucchini, I tell her, but something nipped off all of the blossoms.

I see warm, buttery greens dressed with champagne vinaigrette at the potluck table compliments of another friend's community garden. I dreamed of creating my own garden salads, but my spinach went to seed before I had enough leaves to fill a bowl.

Mom says her green beans are coming on. Mine never emerged from the soil.

The pumpkin vine withered in the heat.

The squirrels dug up the sunflower seeds.

The birds snatched every single strawberry as soon as it ripened.

You could say I've failed to reach my full potential when it comes to gardening. My parents harvest enough from their soil to keep from heading to the produce department for two weeks at a time.

I grew up helping to can string beans, put up applesauce and freeze corn.

Oh, I could have gleaned and put to use so much from those years about growing just about anything. But here I am now, just growing tomatoes.

There's a college degree, a bright but short-lived writing career, energy, passion for art and teaching, but right now, tomatoes.

Today, to my joy, the children ran in with handfuls of the scarlet fruit. We sliced them, dressed them with basil, oil and cheese and devoured them at the dinner table.

It's lucky I like tomatoes.

At once sweet and savory, they are jewels in a salad. They add texture to pastas. They can stand on their own with a sprinkle of salt.

Perhaps next spring I'll scrap the garden plans all together. I won't bother sprouting onions and peppers by the basement window. I should fill my beds with only tomatoes.

No. I think I'd like to try potatoes and corn. With the tomatoes, I could make a really terrific succotash.