Around the Yard

Things to do this week:

* Make tomatoes fruit. If tomato flowers are not turning into fruit, they may not be getting pollenated. Bumblebees, by vibrating their wings, do the best job, but you can help the pollination process by flicking the flowers with your fingers or by shaking the plant stake or cage.

The Common Ground program of Los Angeles County also suggests giving tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and squashes some supplemental magnesium to increase fruit set. They say to dissolve one tablespoon of Epsom salts in one quart of warm water and spray or sprinkle it on leaves and blossoms. Pour the remainder in a ring around the base of the plant. Do this several times during the season.

When it comes to squash, if the first few blossoms do not turn into fruit, they are probably male flowers. Female flowers (the ones with the swelling at the base) will soon appear and, along with the male, will make fruit.

* Plant water gardens. Aquatic plants such as waterlilies and water snowflake grow only when the weather is very warm, so now is the time to buy them and put them in a pond or pot. Many kinds of aquatics will grow wonderfully in water-filled containers that measure only 15 to 18 inches deep and as wide or wider.

The new generation of thick, sturdy plastic pots--often made from recycled materials--make great, free-standing water gardens if you plug their drainage holes with a rubber stopper. There’s no need to circulate or filter water, but keep 75% of the surface covered with plants to prevent the growth of algae and be sure to include common “feeder” goldfish or mosquito fish to stop mosquito breeding.

No room for lilies and the like? Grow things such as the weedy but wonderful floating water hyacinth in smaller containers. Tiny floating ferns will even fit in a small ceramic bowl filled with water. A friend of mine keeps one of these in the center of her patio table, to cooling effect.