The weather is heating up. Rainfall is becoming scarcer, so its time to help Mother Nature out, with water. Insects have been increasing bad this season, so don't ignore them. Despite that, we have had a good growing season so far–lets hope it continues.

The flavors of summer are out in abundance–from great vegetables to fruits, they are here now. If you don't grow your own, visit your local u-pick or farmers market. There are blackberries, peaches, blueberries and more to choose from. The cool season vegetables are playing out with the heat, but tomatoes, peppers, melons, squash and all the other warm season vegetables are ready for the picking. Try to pick early in the day, and get them in the house as soon as you can for best flavor.

If your garden is overflowing with zucchini and cucumbers, and you've made all the pickles you can stand, consider taking your extra produce to a local food pantry, shelter, soup kitchen, or food recovery program. These organizations are a perfect outlet for this surplus. They really do a great service of giving food to those who need it. They usually give out canned goods, dry goods, and frozen foods, and many of them welcome the chance to add fresh produce to what they provide. If you don't know a local food pantry, FRESH, CANNED AND FROZEN FOOD CAN BE TAKEN TO: Arkansas Rice Depot, 8400 Asher Avenue, Little Rock, 565-8855. Donations accepted from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock, 1601 Marshall Street, Little Rock, 372-7257. Donations accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Potluck, Inc., 1400 Gregory St., North Little Rock, 371-0303--will pick up. If you need more information on where to take produce in your area, please call the Arkansas Hunger Coalition at 501-374-6675, toll-free 1-877-RHUNGER.

Water is always a buzzword in summer in Arkansas. Daily watering should not be necessary except for container plants. If you water your garden daily, plants become dependent on it, and have shallow roots. Mulching will definitely help, but also consider soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems. An inch of water per week should be enough for most plants.

Tomato season is here. Many home gardeners have been struggling with blossom end rot this season. This problem begins as a water soaked area on the bottom of the tomato, which continues to advance to a rotted spot. While it looks like a bad disease, it is actually a calcium deficiency, made worse by fluctuations in water levels. Mulch your garden and try to keep it as evenly moist as possible. Sprays of stop rot can help, but it is better to get your calcium levels up at planting with lime, and keep the moisture as even as possible.

Tropical flowers are in their element! Heat and humidity is what they thrive on. Be sure to give them some water–especially if you are growing them in containers, and fertilize regularly to keep them in peak performance. Slow release fertilizers work well, or the water soluble ones. You can often find some good bargains on tropicals by mid summer–and they bloom up until frost.

Use caution when applying any pesticide when it is hot and dry outside. Make sure there is ample moisture in the plants to prevent them from taking up too much chemical and getting a burn. Make sure you read and follow the label directions as to how much to apply, but also pay attention to the waiting period from last spray until harvest.

Peaches are in season, and in most parts of the state there should be a good supply. From U-Pick to farmers markets, there are plenty of great peaches available this season. Be sure to call your local grower before arriving to make sure the peaches are available that day. When picking peaches, look for ripe fruit. The fruit should be beginning to soften up and have a very distinctive peach fragrance. If the fruit is hard, even though it looks ripe, leave it on the tree to ripen a little more–the flavor will be much better.

It is hard to think of fall now, but this is the time of year to plant the fall garden. You can replant all of the warm season crops, as well as begin planting the cool season ones again. If you plan to have pumpkins for Halloween, you need to plant now. They are a long season crop. There are challenges for a late season garden. Water is critical to get the plants up and growing. Insects and diseases can also play a bigger role–since they have had all season to get established. With a little extra effort, you can have a bountiful harvest in the cooler days of fall.

Grasshoppers have become a major problem in many parts of the state this season. They can be difficult to kill. There are numerous insecticides and baits on the market. If you want to make your own bait, mix 19 pounds of a dry grain with one quart of liquid Sevin. Place the bait in areas where grasshoppers are a problem. Give it a chance to work, since they do have to eat it to be killed by it.

If grassy weeds are invading your Bermuda or Zoysia lawns, you can control then with grass herbicides now. Crabgrass, dallisgrass, and the like can be controlled with MSMA. Be sure to water and mow 24- 48 hours before applying, and don't mow or water for at least 24 hours after. As always, read and follow the label directions.

By now, you should have finished pruning all of your spring blooming plants. Avoid any more cuts to these plants this season. They will begin setting flower buds for next years blooms in a month or more. This time of year, they often slow down in their new growth, trying to cope with hot, dry weather. Water is all they really need now.

If diseases or nematodes have taken your vegetable crops, now would be a good time to sterilize the soil by soil solarization. Remove any plant debris, till the soil as deeply as possible and water thoroughly. Then cover the area with clear plastic, and leave it covered for six to eight weeks. This should generate enough heat to kill out the disease organisms and nematodes.

Summer perennials such as coreopsis, gaillardia, purple cone flower, and black-eyed Susan should be dead-headed periodically to keep the blooms coming. Crape myrtles and buddleia, also benefit from having the spent flowers removed. This prevents seed formation, and should encourage more flowers.

Iris plants can be dug and divided this month. You can also cu the foliage back into a more manageable fan shape this month. Iris rhizomes must be planted shallow, and don't like mulch around them. This can be an invitation for grass to grow. Try to clean up as much as you can, and use a grass specific herbicide such as Poast, Grass-b-gone, or Ornamec.

Watermelons and cantaloupes are beginning to ripen. Learn how to recognized a ripe fruit before you pick it. There is more to know than just thumping! On watermelons, the curly tendril on the vine, next to the fruit will turn brown and dry, the underside of the melon will turn yellow, and the outer rind will turn dull instead of shiny. Cantaloupes will give off a definite cantaloupe scent, have distinct netting, be somewhat soft on the blossom end and detach readily from the vine. There is a big difference in the quality of a ripe fruit versus an under-ripe one. Once you have checked all the right signs, thump away.

Surprisingly, there were many crape myrtles damaged by the winter weather. If you need to replace any crape myrtles, or simply want to plant some new ones, July is a great month to plant one. You can pick out the color you want and know what it is going to look like, since they are now in bloom. Crape myrtles need full sun and a well-drained soil. Look for Indian named cultivars which were released from the national arboretum. They are resistant to powdery mildew, a common problem for crape myrtles. If you have crape myrtles that aren't blooming, check the sunlight. The more sunlight the better they will bloom. If you have existing crape myrtles, check them for powdery mildew. The mildew has begun to hit hard in many parts of the state. A light attack on lower leaves shouldn't hurt, but if the plants are being covered in it, it is time to spray. A general fungicide such as Immunox or Daconil should do the trick.

July typically begins the killer summer weather. Keep in mind that our trees and shrubs have already been through two awful summers, and a fairly disastrous winter. The best thing you can do for these plants now is water. Damaged trees, or those which are struggling, will be much more appealing to borers. Deep, infrequent applications of water will be much better than daily sprinklings.

Continue to harvest herbs as needed. The best time to harvest is early in the day, after the dew has dried. Avoid mid-day when the plants are stressed. Frequent cutting of annual herbs, such as basil will help it bush out. If you can't use it right away, temporarily store it in a vase of water–not the refrigerator. If you have too much, share with a friend, dry it or make pesto.