I’ve been a sucky gardener for a long, long time. If I looked at a plant the wrong way, it’d die.

Despite this, I’ve been determined to start a vegetable garden for a couple of years now but never determined ENOUGH I guess.

Until now.

I wouldn’t call it a full-fledged “garden” but a friend gave us some plants a few months ago and it was just the push we needed.

We planted tomatoes (three varieties), two pepper plants (jalapeno and banana peppers) and two eggplants (two varieties).

And guess what?

I actually grew something, dog gone it.

Behold, my first tomato.

Big Roo got to pick that one. He was SO psyched (and yes he’s wearing his pajamas, thankyouverymuch).

Little Roo put himself in charge of the peppers. He’d been trying to pick them for weeks so I let him have a go at it.

Total? One tomato, one jalapeno and one banana pepper. (We also have another jalapenos and two more tomatoes growing.)

It may not be anything like the bounty The Barefoot Contessa gets from her garden. But for this girl, who’s thumb was once pitch black, I’ll take it.