“How’s your garden?” asked a friend.
“I’ve basically given up for the summer,” I said.
“Me too!”
“If it weren’t for sunflowers, half of my vegetable area would be bare dirt right now. And I didn’t even plant the sunflowers – they’re all volunteers!”
I’m burned out. She’s burned out. And this week I talked to two other friends who grow food who also told me they are just not feeling it right now.
Why?
The heat is part of it. And also in summer in Southern California, there are no vegetables without irrigation, and irrigation can be time consuming and expensive.
But I don’t think that’s all of it. It’s also that we don’t get a break since we also grow through the fall, winter, and spring.
There is no gardening season in Southern California, and so there is no time off, no respite. In Minnesota, you are forced to take the winter off. Here, we have to force seasonality, as a friend put it.
And I’ve become convinced that we should force seasonality. We are built to need rest. We must sleep almost half of every 24-hour day. Our sports have seasons. Professors go on sabbatical. Deciduous trees enter dormancy. Squirrels estivate.
Next year’s August estivation
Have you heard that term “estivation?” It describes what the native California ground squirrels do around August. They largely disappear from your garden. They spend most of their time hanging out in their cool, underground homes. Once the summer heat subsides, they emerge and get back to work in the early fall.
I want to imitate the squirrels.
Next year, by mid-July I will stop planting vegetables so that by August the only things that require my presence in the vegetable garden are harvests and occasional irrigation checks.
I will largely disappear from the vegetable garden until mid-September, when it is time to plant cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, some lettuces and greens.
That will give me 1-2 months of rest. My hope is that I will feel rejuvenated and enthusiastic when I return in the first days of fall.
That’s my plan for next year. For today, I’ve still got some vegetable seedlings that need to be planted and cared for. I’ll get those in, but then I’ll take it easy for the rest of summer.
Thanks for your support!
I over planted this year and got so burnt out by July I ripped it all out and just left the flowers. Ok, part of the burnout was dealing w rats (which thank you for your post on rats it was very helpful) and I’m on the coast so the other part of it was dealing w blights and PM. We’ve had an exceptionally cool summer again which I am ***loving*** so do not get me wrong! But the diseases don’t let up. The pests don’t let up. It’s all a lot of work and I think the irrigation needs make it that much more. We have family in MN enjoying an overflowing bounty they can’t freeze fast enough because of nightly rains!
Anyways, I’m toying w the idea of starting broccoli end of Aug but this fall and winter will be light and easy. I’ll do some carrots, lettuces and the such this winter – stuff that doesn’t need to be planted at a certain time relieves the pressure of “must-do’s” in the garden.
The flowers I have succession planted (as a by product of my over planting 😉 have brought more joy this year than my veggies – they just give and give and give and they don’t need much.
You are not alone! I love the idea of a break – while mine was reactive I can tell you it’s been a joy to step back and enjoy the summer and spend more time at the beach!