Digging the Long Days of Summer

New York Transplant

When I made the move from Virginia to rural New York, I went from being an enthusiastic suburban gardener to an owner of farmland on which we ultimately grew produce to supply local restaurants. When we changed latitudes, I expected some other changes. In Virginia I could get out and work the soil in shorts in February. In New York I had to wait out mud season through February, March and April before I could get busy in the dirt. In the South, my outdoor rosemary bush was the size of a cow, while in New York it lived in a pot so that it could winter indoors. But the exuberance of my garden in June was startling. As daylight stretched to 10pm on summer evenings, vegetables, flowers (and of course weeds) outcompeted each other for space. My garden went from baby transplants to overflowing abundance seemingly overnight.

Finding My Place in the Sun

USDA hardiness zones are a common way to catalog plants. Based on the length of growing seasons, they are a simple way to determine where, for example, a rosemary bush will be able to survive. However, a plant’s ability to thrive depends on a variety of factors. Things like rainfall, sunshine, wind patterns and humidity all make a difference. Although my growing season was shorter and my winter was colder, the long days of a northeastern summer made my plants really perk up — and me, too!

Let There Be Light

The growing season may begin later in the northern latitudes, but it comes with a bang. When the amount of daylight drops below 10 hours a day, it is called the Persephone Period, named for the Greek goddess of spring whose time spent in Hades marked the period when crops wouldn’t grow. In Western NY the Persephone Period ends during the first few days of February. However, the real magic starts in mid-March when the daylight minutes gain faster per day than farther south. By the end of April, New York days are over 14 hours long. In mid-May the day stretches to 14:30 hours per day, peaking on the solstice at 15:18 hours (Jamestown, NY). Western NY racks up 80 days with over 14:30 hours while Virginia only has around 60. Those minutes add up when it comes to plant growth. (Source: U.S. Naval Observatory)

Let There Also Be Dark

The quick lengthening of days accounts for the fast rate of growth I noticed in my plants, but I was surprised to learn that nighttime hours also matter. Short-day plants such as violets, chrysanthemums and Christmas cactus require a long period of darkness (more than 12 hours) to form blooms. Nurseries often cover chrysanthemums to emulate night, so they will flower in time for fall sales. If your Christmas cactus blooms at Easter, you can blame it on its nightlife. Long-day plants such as coneflowers, lettuce and spinach have blooms triggered by days with more than 12 hours of daylight. While we appreciate blossoms in our flower gardens, blooming or “bolting” lettuce or spinach is not good to eat, so local growers time their crops accordingly.

Onion bulb formation also depends on day length. Georgia, the sixth-highest producer of onions in the country, is known for sweet, short-day Vidalia onions grown during warm winters. New York, ranking seventh, grows varieties ranging from sweet to pungent during the productive long days of summer. Virginia, incidentally, is neither here nor there when it comes to onions. It doesn’t have enough long summer days or enough short warm winter days for highly productive onion growing.

Making Hay While the Sun Shines

The vivacity of the garden during the long days reminds me of the adage about making hay. It is great advice for life in general: make the most of what you have, when you have it. If the sun is shining, make hay. If it is raining, fix your tools or relax and read a book. This is true for making use of seasonal abundance and also for work life or time off, home chores or travel, self-care and even relationships. Enjoy the day, whatever it brings.

Included here are recipes for two salads and two soups that are short on effort but long on flavor. They take advantage of the stars of the season as we celebrate the long luxurious days of summer.