My computer died this week, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to get this column written in time for the deadline. Whew, made it, but it is kind of sad that we've become such slaves to technology.

At last it's berry picking time. Raspberries, that is. I found my first ripe ones about mid-July. They are just huge this year. I'm not sure why, but it might have something to do with the fertilizer I dosed them with a while back. Also all this rain helps to produce large berries.

For a special treat I am just about addicted to parfaits. I make them with either fresh or frozen berries, layering them in a tall glass with low-fat yogurt, Cool Whip, cubed Jello-O and either granola or Grape Nuts. Delicious.

I don't grow fruit trees, but Green Bluff isn't that far. They offer a wide variety of cherries, apples, pears, peaches and probably some I forgot to mention. Let them have the fun of all that spraying and pruning, etc.

When it comes to tomatoes, I'm amazed that some are getting ripe with the cool spring we had. Tomatoes need heat to ripen and we have had such on again, off again weather, I'm surprised they haven't given up.

If your tomatoes should develop "blossom end rot," don't despair. This is more of a cultural problem than a disease. We see it when the plant isn't able to absorb calcium from the soil. To remedy, you can spray the plant with a calcium especially made for tomatoes. While you wait for that to take effect, go ahead and eat those ripe ones, just cut the black area off; the rest is fine to eat.

If your petunias are starting to get leggy, go ahead and cut a few long vines back on each plant. Follow up with a dose of fertilizer, and they should get a new lease on life. Check to make sure they have good drainage. As always, whenever you encounter a yellow leaf ... on any plant, cut it off. No yellow leaf ever turns green again.

The time has come, boys and girls. The time to divide those irises, I mean. You know the ones. The plant has gotten huge and the flowers have become smaller and fewer. July and August are the months to plant new or divided irises in our area. If you wait much later, these shallow rooted plants may not get established before winter sets in. Sorry to have to use that "w" word.

First, choose where you will plant them. They need at least a half day of sun and good garden soil that is well drained. Avoid low spots as that causes rot. Dig up the area and mix in one of the following. Add 10-10-10 fertilizer, bone meal, horse type alfalfa pellets, super phosphate, or compost (do this also on those irises that don't need dividing this year.)

Pull the old plant apart, saving only the newer fans on the outside, toss out the center section. Then set each rhizome, (the thick root at the base of each fan of leaves), right at ground level with the roots fanned down on each side. Mark named varieties with a permanent label and water well. That's it. They will need dividing every 3 or 4 years. Give the extra plants to friends and neighbors who will be impressed when they bloom next spring.

Every day new flowers are popping open. The Asiatic lilies put on a great show this year and now their big scented cousins, the Oriental lilies are coming into bloom. All I can say is wow. Another good reason to spend time in the garden.

Like I always say, it's cheaper than a shrink!

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting 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 and is an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.