BETWEEN THE LINES: DESPITE THE WORK, GARDENING BECOMES SUMMER LOVE

Although I'm not partial to high humidity and temperatures in the mid-90s, I love summer.

And despite what any calendar says, it has arrived. Schoolchildren are out of classes for three months, area swimming pools are full and barbecue grills are getting a workout.

And the best thing about summer is the food. Summer is the time to enjoy all the foods you can't eat any other time of the year, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables.

I didn't plant a garden, so I'm relying on other people's generosity for my bounty of summer vegetables.

And usually that works well. For some reason, vegetable gardens tend to bring neighbors together. Maybe it's all those extra zucchini and tomatoes that do it, who knows?

My dad planted a garden earlier this summer, but the plants aren't producing any tomatoes or zucchini yet.

In the meantime, I've been to the produce stands and markets to buy my tomatoes, cucumbers and other salad fixings.

On a trip to St. Louis recently, I stopped at the Soulard Market to kill some time.

Nearly an hour later, my mom, brother and I had collected so many sacks of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and various fruits that we could barely carry them to the car. And the only reason we stopped buying was because our hands were full.

You could tell we weren't regulars at the market because we didn't come with a cart or shopping bag to carry our purchases. There were plenty of carts being wheeled around the produce stands.

I was amazed at the vast amount of fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants available. You could buy everything from organically grown herbs and vegetables to the largest portabella mushrooms I've ever seen.

And there were plenty of other stands offering everything from Beanie Babies to puppies for sale.

But what caught my eye were the varieties of plants and flowers for sale.

Now that I have flower beds to fill each spring, I've started paying more attention to the colors and variety of various flowers.

Actually, I have been giving unusual amounts of attention to other people's gardens and flower beds lately. My brother seems to think I'm obsessed with gardening.

But I'm really trying to get ideas for my own planting areas without having to hire a landscape company for advice.

I have several problem areas in the yard, but I'm hoping for cooler weather before I tackle those projects.

Right now, keeping the plants alive and the weeds out of the garden is enough work for me.

Why didn't anyone tell me that keeping up with a garden -- flower or vegetable -- is hard work?

I don't think I've ever worked as hard as I did while turning dirt, planting two flats of flowers and putting mulch in the beds. (I think perennials might be the solution next year.)

Even after all the back-breaking work and sweat, I think my flower bed looks fabulous. The flowers bloomed full and bright and have added great color to my yard.

Maybe that's my reward for all the effort it takes to be a gardener.

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