Plan on doing most of your gardening during July in the early morning or evenings when temperatures are more bearable.

Because it is too hot to do any hard work, take a walk through your garden with your garden journal and record your thoughts. The more you do this, the better your garden will be.

Make notes on how your plants are holding up in these temperatures and record any insect and disease damage. Also record what you fertilized and how plants responded.

Of course, the bottom line is to savor and appreciate your efforts. Don't let life's hectic pace keep you from enjoying what you created. Take the time to enjoy the goals you have met.

Here are ideas to record while in your garden and what to do with them during the heat wave.

Vegetables: Turn your thoughts to fall gardening. It will be the best garden you will ever raise. Everything is working for you: warmer weather speeds up germination and growth, and when your veggies mature in the cool of fall, the produce will be of a higher quality. If you plan on growing transplants such as broccoli, cauliflower and kohlrabi, start the seeds in mid-July. Other vegetables you can still plant include cantaloupes, sweet corn, cucumbers, okra, squash and watermelons.

Since I'm encouraging you to keep a gardening journal, make notes of the varieties of vegetables used this season and how they did. You don't want to keep planting poor varieties.

Continue harvesting vegetables that are maturing. This keeps plants on a productive mission rather than generating seeds.

Melons are always a big favorite, and we want to pick them too soon. If the underside of the melon is yellow or there are brown curly tendrils where the melon attaches to the vine, it is ready for plucking. Pluck cantaloupes when the outside netting, or skin, turns golden or when the fruit separates freely from the stem. Never leave vegetables in the garden to rot. That is one sure way to encourage diseases later.

Near the middle of the month, cut tomatoes back to a foot above ground. Then give them and your peppers and eggplants a shot of fertilizer to stimulate new growth and encourage vigorous plants going into the fall to yield again. Keep an eye out for bugs and treat as necessary.

Mulch: This time of year is when gardeners let weeds get away. If you had mulched your garden, nature's blanket would keep them under control. Mulch also is an excellent way to improve your soil. Underneath the mulch are microorganisms decomposing it so that later it opens up the soil to be more productive.

Roses: Daytime and nighttime temperatures lower the vigor of rosebushes. Despite your best efforts, your bushes produce smaller roses that are not as colorful. Flowers seem to fade almost as soon as they open. Keep them in the best shape possible so they will produce wonderful flowers this fall. Keep them well-watered. If you haven't mulched your roses, do so by placing 3 to 4 inches of your favorite mulch under each rose. This will reduce watering frequencies, especially during the "heat wave."

Houseplants: If your houseplants are rapidly growing, check the root ball. The plants probably need repotting. If you find roots packed against the container wall, repot them into larger containers. Make note in your gardening journal any things you did to your plants including changing the container, soil medium used, fertilizing, humidity, sun exposure and pests, among other things. When adopting a new houseplant, avoid repotting it, even if it is root bound. Let it become adjusted to the new surroundings for a few weeks. You may be tempted to feed your plants, and if you do, follow with a good drink. However, we normally wait until fall to feed them.

Perennials: Note which plants need dividing, transplanting and replacing so you can make preparation to do them this fall. Noting these issues early, you will have a much easier time correcting them and plants will do better as a result. Plan on fertilizing those that are still actively growing and blooming. Avoid feeding those perennials that have already bloomed or are in decline.

Shrubs: Bushes don't require a great deal of attention during this scorching month other than watering, grooming and staying in command of any invading pests. When shearing hedges, keep the bottom wider than the top so lower parts of the hedge get plenty of sunlight. It will result in a fuller hedge. Finish pruning your spring-flowering shrubs.

Trees: Like shrubs, trees don't require much through the summer. You might have to do some occasional grooming and the correcting of broken branches. If you have trees along walkways, remove the low-growing branches; tall people like to stand under them, too. Wait until fall to fertilize. Occasionally, give trees a thorough soaking to push salts away from the roots.

Annuals: The annuals you planted in the spring are winding down. It is a direct result of the heat, because it is almost unbearable for them. Replace them with warm-season annuals, because they hold their color until it cools down, at which time you'll replace them with cool-season flowers. Check your nursery for some warm-season annuals and plant them. Or direct seed some quick, easy annuals such as amaranthus, cosmos, gaillardia, marigold, portulaca, sunflower and zinnia into your landscape.

Bulbs: We grow caladiums more for their attractive foliage, and their unusual-looking flowers are nothing to brag about. When the flowers show up, remove them to encourage the bulbs to put more effort into producing their beautiful leaves.

July is the time to purchase your iris rhizomes. Watch for iris society sales in this column through this month. Try some of the new varieties.

Iris sale: Of all the perennials you can plant in the garden, the iris is arguably the most beautiful. The Southern Nevada Iris Society is having its annual summer iris sale. Each year, many new and exciting cultivars, including rare and unique colors, are available. During the sale, society members will give growing and hybridizing tips to all who are interested. This year the sale will take place on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Star Nursery at 7330 W. Cheyenne Ave.

Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Thursday. You can reach him at linn@reviewjournal.com or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve at 822-8325.