This crazy summer weather means gardeners have to pay a little extra attention

Wow, hold it! Did I just see fireweed in full bloom before the 1st of July?

Isn't it a bit early?

What about the traditional "Termination dust appears six weeks after the last fireweed flower opens!" Or is it six weeks after the first flower opens? (I can never remember). Even if it's six weeks after the last flower turns to seed, if the saying is true, we are in for an early winter! We shall see, I guess.

No matter. When it comes to plants, it is early. Not just for fireweed, but roses, peonies and just about everything else growing out there. This is not the year to slavishly follow a garden calendar.

What this means is you have to go out there and look at what is going on and figure out what needs to be done. I can help, but nothing substitutes for your own eyes. Don't be lazy just because things are growing so well this year without your help.

For example, are your potato plants growing quicker? Of course they are, and they need hilling (covering all but the top couple of inches with soil). Do you have flowers on your peas already? If so, they better be staked or growing on a trellis of sorts, as the plants will get heavy with pods and break. Is it time to shave the deadheads from that alyssum which finished flowering so early? If so, you will get at least additional blush of flowers this summer. How about the perennial weed that has invaded your garden — and which is undoubtedly blooming earlier and needs to be deadheaded so it won't seed. (We all have one: Ours is giant bachelor button.)

How about the rhubarb I wrote about three weeks ago? Still haven't harvested it? Come on now. Have you noticed your plants are now sporting seed heads? (Pick them off and harvest some of the fruit stems before it is too late.) I know you want strawberries with that rhubarb pie, and these, too are early so keep checking them. They may already be ripe.

The best time to divide irises is after they flower and ours flowered early. You can dig up clumps now if yours have flowered too, and carefully divide by hand or, if your clumps are really large, use a spade and dig up half and replant it somewhere else. Don't wash anything off; you want some of the original soil traveling with them to ensure a good inoculation of the right microbes.

Your lawn is wondering what is going on as well. Not only was spring early, so were the first dandelions and the warm weather it normally experiences in late July. Now is a good time to decide if it needs fertilizer. How? Simple: Is it green enough for you? If yes, skip applications. If not, use only an organic, low number, no phosphate microbe food. Arctic Gro Natural is fine, as is a mixture of molasses meal and soybean meal. Best of all would be up to half an inch of compost. No chemical fertilizers should be used. They make the lawn look an unnatural green and they are not good for the environment.

In the gardens, early warm weather spurs the early growth of chickweed. Get it now while you can and before it sets too many seeds — otherwise you'll have even more next year. Mulch helps an awful lot. Remember, there are no bare soils in nature. And, as I keep harping this year, the butter and eggs is doing awfully well and should be cut to the ground while they are not in bloom.

Finally, are you checking your greenhouse plants carefully and daily? The extra heat we have been experiencing means more watering is necessary. It also means you better have great ventilation in there, most preferably a good fan. If not, you risk mildews, which you don't want. At any sign of white or gray powder, remove the offending plants and increase air circulation. Spray your plants' leaves with fresh compost tea or, believe it or not, a mixture of 40 percent water, and 60 percent milk. The latter has been very effective on cucumbers and squash mildews.

Beyond the threat of mildews, there's the danger that plants will shut down when temperatures hit 90 or so. Keep them around 75 to 80 if possible.

Jeff’s Alaska Garden Calendar

Alaska Botanical Garden: Those who missed the gala can still enjoy the garden during one of its great blooming periods. And there are plants for sale you won't find elsewhere. This is the place to dump off your Fred and Ethel visitors for a few hours so you can get some peace and they can too!

Wasps, hornets: Be careful out there as they are back in droves. Keep an eye out for them flying and see where they go. Only get nests at night when all the residents are home and use a spray that lets you step way back. No need to be a Darwin Awardee. And, remember, that they eat aphids and should only be destroyed if they are creating a dangerous situation.

Lilacs: Deadhead the flowers if you want to increase their numbers next year. It is hard on a very tall plant. Don't get all hung up on this.

Radishes: Harvest and plant new ones.

Lettuces: Plant some new crops. You can grow these in pots.