Summer is Hard
Our modern culture is obsessed with summer. We have created a world in which we idolize the time when we were school age children and we “took the summer off.” Summer break was the time of year we looked forward to and wished for. At some point we forgot why the school systems take a summer break. Back in the day, summer was when the most hands were needed on the farms. Schools took a break so that kids could go back to the farm and help out with the harvest and the seasonal work needed to keep our food system running.
Then we invented tractors and other mechanical devices that could cut the hay and dig the potatoes. All of the sudden we didn’t need all of the hands that waited at the end of the school year to help out on the farm. So, we had to create summer camps and other leisure activities to fill the time of our wandering youths. Summer became a time of recreation and not of labor. Now I am not promoting that we go back to a time with child labor and hard work, but I do think we have lost perspective.
Summer is the time of peak photosynthetic activity. We simply have more photons beaming down on us than at any other time of the year. The plants around us subsequently take and utilize those photons. Through the magic of photosynthesis they turn them into plant sugars. Summer is the most abundant time of plant growth. We must acknowledge that as human animals we are dependent on these plants for our food and sustenance. Our cattle need to feed and fatten on the grass. Our gardens need to grow. Our forests need to expand. The only reason we are here is because the sun shines and the rain falls on plants that turn those raw materials into their bodies that we can then utilize in various ways.
Summer is the height of growth and a frenzy of activity that will not be matched any other time of year. The reason summer is busy is because we know that winter is coming. On the other end of the extreme we have to remember that winter means cold and less growth. We have to save that precious sun energy for the dark half of the year. Humans have found many ways to do this. We cut hay so that there is more feed for our cattle during the winter scarcity. We store crops so that we can benefit from the extra calories. We harvest the timber to build and heat our homes from the bones of giants.
All of this work means we are busy during the summer. If we honor the cycle of the year we would be putting the most effort into gathering the sunlight during the summer. Therefore, summer is hard. Summer is a rush and frenzy to accomplish all that needs to be done, because we know that it is a very short part of the year. Sure we also get to relax by the river and enjoy the warm nightime temperatures but we should always remember that the clock is ticking and if we are going to make it through the other hard part of the year we need to be prepared.
Both spring and fall have feelings of hope and excitement. The energy around those seasons is different. When you break the cycle of the year into four quadrants, the hard parts are summer and winter and the hopeful parts are spring and fall. As a farmer my favorite times of year are the spring and the fall. I love the change of seasons and the transition into a new reality. Spring offers the hope of abundance and new life. Fall is a return to cozy times by the fire and relaxation. Both summer and winter are grueling in their own ways.
Summer is hard, and most people are not prepared for it until they experience a farm season. The shock of the summer season has turned many young people away from farming. But those that can sink into the hustle of summer and find purpose and meaning in it thrive and often become farmers themselves. You have to lean into the hardness of summer. It is only a short part of the year after all. Take care of yourselves out there. Hydrate and make sure to eat enough food, this is the most abundant time of year. Rest, and make sure that you are prepared for each day because the more you can take advantage of the solar gain this season offers the more you will be prepared when winter returns.
The sense of relief when last bale of hay is stacked in the barn. Years ago our old neighbour was ill and that evening I told him I had finished his haymaking and all was ready for winter for the cows, he smiled and passed away.
Yeah, this article really hit me. Spring is huge in our orchard. Pruning and tree replacement, spraying and minding for deer, it's a huge job. Then in the fall it's all about bringing in the apples and processing. After the long winter it takes the body until July to adjust! Good luck! Looks like you are growing garlic?