My hanging tomato plants died in the cold while we were out of town. I watered them, sang to them, steeped manure tea--manure tea!--for them, and covered them with sheets on chilly nights. I all but did back handsprings for them, but I didn't get one single edible tomato out of the damn things.
The basil died too, but not before we got several pasta dishes, sandwiches, and a really good batch of pesto out of it. The pepper plant coughed up a few jalapenos, and the lettuce plants are still okay and just about ready to go. That gives me a little consolation, but I really, really wanted those tomatoes.
Next year I will do better, maybe by buying plants that aren't such ungrateful jerks.