Nobody Talks About the July Slump

Back in January, I had a plan.

Actually, I had several plans.

I had garden plans. Homestead plans. Projects I was finally going to tackle. New things I wanted to grow. Systems I wanted to improve. Areas of the property I was finally going to organize. And I was going to write about it and share it all with you!!

January is great for planning.

Everything feels possible in January.

The seed catalogs arrive. The garden notebook comes out. The ideas start flowing.

And then July shows up.

Last week I walked out to the garden early in the morning with a cup of coffee and immediately noticed three things.

• The weeds were bigger than I remembered.

• Something had been eating the bean plants.

• And there were several zucchini that should have been harvested three days ago.

Not exactly the picture-perfect homestead moment you see on social media. The truth is that July is often the hardest month of the year on the homestead. Not because nothing is growing.

Because everything is growing.

Spring is exciting.

There is something deeply satisfying about planting seeds, building beds, and watching the first signs of growth emerge.

July is different.

By July, the garden expects something from you.

• The tomatoes need support.

• The cucumbers need harvesting.

• The weeds need attention.

• The pests have discovered your hard work.

• The watering becomes critical.

• The harvest basket starts filling up faster than you expected.

Sound familiar? The garden is no longer a project. It’s a responsibility, and honestly not the fun kind of reponsibility.

When people imagine homesteading, they often picture the rewarding moments.

Gathering eggs. Harvesting tomatoes. Picking fresh herbs for dinner. Watching seedlings emerge.

Those moments are real and they do happen. They’re part of why many of us do this.

But there are other moments too.

The moments when you’re tired after work and still need to water. The moments when you’re looking at a pile of vegetables and wondering when you’re going to find time to preserve them. The moments when a project that sounded simple in March suddenly feels much larger in July. The moments when you’re questioning whether you planted too much.

Or not enough.

Or the wrong thing entirely.

I’ve had all of those moments. Probably more than once.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that successful gardens aren’t built during the exciting parts of the season.

They’re built during the ordinary parts. Isn’t there a famous quote about success isn’t about motivation but dedication?

Anyone can garden when the weather is perfect and motivation is high.

July asks a different question.

• Can you keep showing up?

• Can you pull a few weeds even when you’re tired?

• Can you harvest before things get overripe?

• Can you take care of the basics when the novelty has worn off?

Most gardening success comes from small actions repeated over and over again.

One of the funny things about gardening is that we spend months hoping for abundance.

Then abundance arrives and we wonder what we’re supposed to do with all of it.

A productive garden can quickly become a management problem.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that growing food is only half the process.

The other half is figuring out what to do with it.

If you’re already staring at baskets of produce and wondering how you’ll keep up, I’ve shared several preservation resources over at Backyard Farming Connection that might help:

• Food preservation basics

• Freezing and dehydrating harvests

• Planning for preservation before harvest season arrives

The harvest is a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem that requires planning.

I’ve come to believe that July reveals what actually matters.

It isn’t the perfect garden plan. It isn’t the newest tool.

It isn’t the ideal layout. It’s consistency.

It’s observation. It’s adaptability.

It’s learning how to keep moving forward even when things aren’t going exactly according to plan.

The people who succeed at gardening and homesteading aren’t necessarily the people with the most land, the best equipment, or the biggest budgets.

They’re usually the people who keep showing up. Again and again. Even when it’s hot. Even when they’re tired. Even when the weeds seem to be winning.

So tell me:

What’s your biggest July challenge this year?

And what’s one thing that’s going well?

Hit reply and let me know.

I read every response, and one of my favorite parts of this community is hearing what other gardeners and homesteaders are experiencing right now.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that none of us are dealing with the July slump alone.

Kitchen

5 Ways to Preserve your Harvest

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August 12, 2024

As summer’s bounty overflows, it’s the perfect time to think about preserving your harvest for the months ahead. We’ve been slowly spending more and more time in the kitchen each week as more food comes in from the garden.