Here are five things to do in the garden this week:

Fruit. Woodland strawberries grow from a California native ground cover (Fragaria vesca) that thrives in moist soil where sunlight is plentiful, but it can also grow In some shade. However, more and sweeter fruit is produced when a healthy dose of sun is provided. This is a plant that spreads easily in the garden since it is accessorized with both rhizomes and stolons (runners). The fruit is smaller than commercial strawberries but more flavorful. However, the fruit is highly perishable and is best eaten soon after picking. 

Vegetables. The annual tomato extravaganza known as Tomatomania will make a stop at Roger’s Gardens (rogersgardens.com) in Corona Del Mar from February 27 to March 8. Seedlings of more than 250 tomato and more than 100 pepper varieties will be available for sale. Of special interest this year is Sart Roloise, a Belgian beefsteak variety that performs well in Southern California. Its flavor is “a low-acid blend of honey-like sweetness and pineapple notes,” and it is an excellent choice for withstanding our hottest summer temperatures. 

Herbs. Basil Treviso (Ocimum basilica) joined the Badabang! tomato in winning the outstanding edible awards for 2026 from the National Garden Bureau. This basil variety with a slight anise scent resists flowering in hot weather. Flowering is a nuisance when growing basil and other herbs since it weakens the flavor of the plant’s foliage and curtails leaf growth. For this reason, flowers are typically removed as soon as they are noticed. Tomatoes and basil are often grown together and not only because basil is a popular tomato sauce ingredient. Basil shades the ground around tomatoes, conserving soil moisture. It is also thought that the pungent aroma of basil leaves may help to deter pests such as whiteflies, aphids, and hornworms. 

Flowers. The National Garden Bureau designated Sunfinity Yellow-Red Bicolor sunflower as its outstanding annual flower of this year. This is not a one-and-done sunflower but will keep blooming from spring to fall as long as you cut back the stem of any faded flower to the first leaf beneath it, from where another sunflower will soon begin to grow. The plant only reaches four feet in height and is excellent for  container growing. Flowers are sterile so if you are allergic to pollen you need not be concerned about growing it. Not only is sunflower pollen more allergenic that other pollens but, due to flower size, there is much more of it than in other flowers. Sterile sunflowers still attract pollinating insects due to the rich nectar that they produce.

You can acquire an all-in-one water garden at uniquegardener.com for your desk or dining room table. The small glass jar contains seeds of water jade (Crassula helmsii) which, when covered with water, readily sprout. Small LED lights with batteries are provided in the lid that is made of cork.