IN THE GARDEN POUR ON THE SUN FOR ABUNDANT TOMATOES.

Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN

Q: We have two problems. Our tomato plants are green and beautiful but have given just a handful of produce. We water only when the ground is dry, but have noticed basically no blossoms and no developing tomatoes at all. Can you advise? Also, our squash are healthy but produce little fruit, and often the new growth will turn yellow and drop off. Any suggestions?

Robert and Florence Lamb,

West Hills

A: When tomato plants do not produce fruit despite a green and healthy demeanor, my first thought is that they are not getting enough light. Tomato plants need six hours a day of full sun in order to produce abundant flowers and fruit.

With less light, they will be leafy enough but without much of a crop. If you grew tomatoes or their relatives -- eggplants, peppers, or potatoes -- in the same place last year and you did not reinvigorate the soil with compost and fertilizer, you would probably see a decline in production since tomatoes are heavy feeders.

Plant a legume such as beans or peas in an area where tomatoes have been harvested since these plants put nitrogen back into the soil. You might also consider the possibility that the variety of tomato you planted is not compatible with our climate.

You also say that you do not water until the ground is dry, but tomatoes require steady available moisture to produce. For this reason, mulch -- a layer of compost, straw or aged manure on top of the soil -- is highly recommended when growing tomatoes.

This year's weather could also have impacted your crop. At temperatures above 100 degrees -- and there were 20 days in a row of this weather in the West Valley -- tomato production is severely curtailed.

Finally, tomato flowers, which are self-fertilizing, require vibrations from wind or bumblebees in order to be pollinated and set fruit. So if you have planted tomatoes in a corner protected from the wind and bereft of bumblebees, you will not see much of a crop.

If your first squash flowers do not set fruit, it is only because the bees have not yet discovered them. Unlike tomato flowers, which are categorized as ``complete'' since they consist of both male and female reproductive organs, squash flowers are either male or female.

If you do not have too many bees buzzing around your squash, you might consider pollinating by hand. You can either physically extract the male flowers that contain pollen grains and manually place them in contact with the female stigmas or, if you are more refined, use a fine paintbrush to carry out this process by dusting the pollen from male to female parts.

Male flowers are recognized by the lack of a bulge (the ovary found on female flowers) beneath their petals.

Q: I grow Roma tomatoes and had been having problems with flower blossom end rot. I was told to apply fish emulsion with potash (potassium) to the plants. The only problem was that the potash was only 1 percent and didn't cure the problem. This is where the saying ``less is more'' comes into play. Instead of applying one tablespoon per gallon of water, I used one cup per gallon. I figured that if one tablespoon worked slowly, then one cup would really give the plants a boost. It really did give them a boost, right to the trash can. Killed them dead. My question is, will the excess fish emulsion dissipate so that the soil will be safe for next season. I plant in half oak barrels and they get watered every day year round.

-- Joe Mastro, Lancaster

A: Blossom-end rot refers to deterioration of tomato fruit that starts at the bottom, blossom end of the fruit as opposed to the top or stem end. This condition is related to lack of calcium, not potassium. Over-fertilization with nitrogen or other minerals may cause blossom-end rot. When it comes to nitrogen applications, fertilize tomatoes with nitrate, as opposed to ammonium, compounds to prevent blossom-end rot development. I would not worry about excess nitrogen in the soil due to overuse of fish emulsion, which contains only 4 percent nitrogen and, as an organic product, should break down quickly enough in the Valley's summer heat.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Tomatoes can be planted through the end of summer and harvested through December and beyond, depending on the severity of the winter. If you purchase nursery plants, detach lower leaves and bury main stems an inch or two below the soil line. Roots will branch out from the stem, assuring plentiful uptake of water and minerals while the plant establishes itself in the frequently hot and stressful dog days of summer.