Summer took long enough to get here, but when it finally did, we sure knew it! The Fourth of July seemed to be the turning point as it was downright chilly up until then, but shortly afterward, the heat descended. Boy, did it!

Time to get serious about watering. We got away with doing little or none of it all spring, but it's time to pay the piper. Lawns need an average of about an inch a week. Most sprinkler systems will deliver that much when run every other day. Over 90 degrees, it will need to be done every day.

There's an easy way to decide how long to run each sprinkler zone. Just gather up a few empty cans with the lids removed. Flat ones like tuna and cat food work well. Spread the cans around the area to be tested. Turn the system on and run it for several minutes. Stop, then check the water level in each can with a ruler. If you plan to water three times a week, you'll need to find out how long it takes to get a third of an inch in each can.

For gardens and flowerbeds, mulch is your best friend. Put a layer over each of them a few inches deep. It not only looks great, but helps keep the moisture in.

Then comes the part where you really need to be diligent... watering pots and hanging baskets. Remember, the smaller the pot, the faster it will dry out. You don't want a dozen little pots to keep wet. They won't need water as often if you put them into larger pots.

Hanging baskets are the biggest challenge. If yours are in the sun most of the day, you may need to water each of them twice a day when it's really hot out. Or windy. Wind can suck the moisture out of them faster than a speeding bullet. Some people swear by moisture crystals as they hold extra water in the soil. You might give them a try.

It's misleading to think you can keep your pots watered by having them close enough for the sprinklers to hit. That only works if the plants haven't filled out. Once they do, the foliage forms a kind of umbrella that just sheets the water off the top of them and down the outside of the pot. The same thing happens with rain. The rain gauge says you got half an inch of rain, yet the pots are still dry.

If you're growing tall things like dahlias and glads, they will need to be staked now, (if you didn't do it when you planted them). Small flowered dahlias won't need this, but those big dinner plate sized lollapaloozas have to have stakes. Otherwise, you are going to find them face down in the mud. Not a pretty picture.

Other things to pour the water to right now are any kind of developing fruits and veggies. If you want nice big berries, they need to have a lot of water while they are forming. I don't grow any fruiting trees, but do have a few strawberries and lots of raspberries. Mmm, I can almost taste them now!

Since we all got such a late start with our planting this year, a lot of us are still at it. With any luck, these plants will catch up to where they should be in a few weeks.

My sweet peas didn't start to bloom until the first of July. That's late for them as they don't like hot weather and usually croak soon after it hits. All we can do is hope they'll hang in there and bloom for weeks to come. You know, like this is a "normal" year!

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting as a kid in 4-H. Since then, she has always kept a garden of some sort, growing everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and house plants. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states. She is an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.