Napa Farmers Market: Pages from a Farmer: Shoulder season September

September can be a weird month for farmers. Sometimes September can see record heat, like the 120 degrees we saw in 2022, and sometimes it can be balmy and cool, like the 70-80s we saw this year. No matter the year, one thing all farmers can agree on is that September is "shoulder season."

If spring is one arm of a year's metaphorical body, you can imagine a slow and steady climb from January through April when cool-weather crops come in strong. The workload is high during this time, but it's all about waiting for rains to pass, prepping fields, seeding, transplanting, and gearing up for summer.

Once May/June arrives, we are officially in the spring shoulder season where offerings can be slim. You may see some rough looking lettuce that doesn't enjoy the sudden onslaught of hot days. Summer fruit like stone fruit and melons are not yet making their appearance, and the strawberries are sour and ugly (but we joyfully eat them anyways).

It's not until late June that the head of the beast, summer, rears out with a vengeance. For farmers this means the phase of harvest, harvest, harvest. Yes, we are transplanting successions of some summer crops, weeding, tying, tending, etc, but mostly we just hold tight and harvest the summer away.

At some point during the peak of summer in August, we start seeding and planning our fall/winter crops. It's a struggle to germinate crops in 100-plua degree weather, when they really prefer a balmy 80 degrees. Yet, we know that whatever greens make it through the heat will mean hot sales in a few months when no one wants to look at a zucchini or tomato. This window is tricky, because if we sow seeds too late in the season, then plants mature at a time of year when the day length does not permit development of lettuce heads, cabbage heads, or broccoli. Instead, plants will see the cold and short days, grow inchingly slow, stop at a stunted size, and skip all the good stuff by heading straight into their flowering stage.

I'll divest for one moment to say that this isn't the pattern of farming in all of California's many microclimates. One of the most beautiful reasons why the California Central Coast is the most abundant area in the whole country, and why so many flock to farm in this area, is because of its temperate climate year round. Day length still plays a major role in plant development, but many crops thrive throughout the year because seasons are muted and blended. In comparison, inland parts of California show more extreme seasons that range from frost to extreme heat, thus limiting the crops that can grow throughout the year.

Back to us folks who farm California's more unforgiving area, the timing of sowing winter crops during the middle of summer can be extremely draining. When so many urgent needs overwhelm us, such as the peppers to pick, the tomatoes to tie, the melons to water, the list goes on, how can we think of tasks that set us up for success in the future? In summer, everything is urgent and important. But if we hold true to our crop plan and get our seedlings through the heat, then we can harvest the fall crops in September.

And here we are, in the summer/fall shoulder season, where we find ourselves between the head of summer and the arm of winter. It feels like everything should be downhill from here, but there is still a lot that needs to happen before the long, quiet days of winter. In the shoulder season of September, we still harvest tomatoes and melons, but the first greens and radishes make it to the party. We clip and cure winter squash in anticipation of our pumpkin pies. It's a magical time of abundance when the tables at the market are more full than ever.

Come one, come all to celebrate shoulder season this September and October at the Napa Farmers Market. Seasonal farmers will soon close shop until next year, and year-round farmers are overflowing with produce from both sides of the season. You won't want to miss it, no matter how cozy your bed feels on the mornings of market day. See you there!

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The Napa Farmers Market is open Tuesday and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at 1100 West St. in downtown Napa . For more information, visit napafarmersmarket.org .

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