It’s hot. I’m hot. My soil is dry, again. The plants are drooping, again. My herbs are bolting – and I want to do the same.
Every summer, about this time, I grow tired and weary of the garden. Most days, by the time I’ve watered everything – it’s too hot to do anything else and I retreat to the cool air inside. I love to water by hand, spending the time required in each garden bed, observing, admiring, and thinking about next season. But by this time of the year, I’m over it.
I’m ready to yank (that’s a highly technical gardening term) everything out and start over. But I can’t. It’s too late in the season, it’s too hot, it’s not time yet. I’m a UC Master Gardener – twice over. I grew up gardening. My dad would scold me if he were alive. But I can’t help it. I’m suffering from SGF – Summer Garden Fatigue. Yes, I made that up. But turns out I’m not alone. I talked with other gardeners, and they shared similar thoughts and opinions. Here are some of their concerns.
- They, too, feel anxiety with the fall season approaching. Trying to find the space and proper timing for fall plantings.
- Concerns over the weather – if they plant too early and we get another heat spell, the seeds might not germinate.
- Being overwhelmed with all the overgrowth, dead and woody plants.
- Resisting the desire to pull everything and start fresh.
I asked what they do to stay the course and not give up at this stage. Here are a few of the suggestions.
- Spend time planning the new garden on paper, or in your journal. Cut out photos from nursery catalogs.
- Start some seeds in seed trays.
- Select one bed at a time and clean it up as best you can.
- Visit your favorite nursery – even if you don’t buy anything. (Is that even possible?)
How about you? Feeling any signs of summer garden fatigue? What do you do to stay motivated?