Staying Cool and Thriving in the Summer Heat for the Flower Farmer

Summer has come, and so have the sweltering temperatures with it! Even with cooler summer temps in the high 80s and low 90s, the sun’s intensity is insane! As a flower farmer, it is not practical to walk away from the duties of the flower field in summer. It’s not like being a hobbyist gardener where you can keep the garden “good enough.” Typically, there is a lot at stake for the flower farmer to maintain. Otherwise, you are looking at crop failure, which can lead to being unable to fulfill orders and losing sales.

Once mid-June hits, the struggles of flower farming hit, too, such as pest pressure and the heat. A certain amount of “pushing through” is necessary to have a profitable and successful flower farming season, but everyone has a limit.

Usually, that limit corresponds to the farmers not caring enough for themselves during the summer heat.

We are so guilty of this!

After pushing ourselves too hard after too many years, I can tell you this is a dangerous fire to play with.

Dehydration and heat exhaustion negatively impact physical health and can be incredibly dangerous, but they also take a toll on mental health. Burnout is a real problem that farmers are especially at risk of. In case you’re not familiar with “burnout,” it is basically when you are exhausted and on the verge of depression.

Taking care of yourself physically and mentally is your most important task.

To help you better do that during the dog days of summer, let’s go over some essential tips to keep the flower farmer and flower field cool and thriving!

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Tip #1: Water, water, water!

Water for the plants

Before the day's heat settles, we make our way to the propagation houses and fields to hand-water seedlings and transplants.

Harsh sunshine and wind can quickly dry out trays, killing seedlings fast, which is why we also utilize flood trays for seedlings and check watering at dusk.

In the field, drip irrigation is an absolute must for us. We are in a super arid climate, translating to many of our past crop failures due to a lack of water.

Having drip irrigation has many benefits:

It allows for deep watering down to the roots, which also encourages the roots to grow deeper and more robust
More efficient watering, not being lost to evaporation
Water conservation: we use less water with greater results
Automation which saves time and ensures a watering doesn’t get missed

In conjunction with drip irrigation, we have found that using weed cloth helps keep our soil cooler and maintain moisture better. This has helped us lengthen our sweet pea and ranunculus season for those late June weddings. Even if it’s 90 degrees outside, the feet of these plants stay cooler more consistently, which keeps them blooming longer.

Water for the flower farmer

Here at Sierra Flower Farm, we are located at 4700 feet in elevation in a valley just east of Lake Tahoe. If you have ever visited the area, you may be aware that, between the altitude and arid climate, it is incredibly easy to get dehydrated—even in the winter!

Keeping yourself hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your flower farm. Dehydration cannot only kill at its worst but can give you overall feelings of malaise: headaches, lack of energy, lower productivity, and can even contribute to anxiety. I don’t think we need any more sources of anxiety!

So, let’s get hydrated!

Hydrate first thing in the morning.

While we wait for the coffee to brew, we have some water with lemon squeezed in for a refreshing start. If we wake up feeling thirsty, adding some coconut water helps us start recovering before getting out into the field. The key to staying hydrated is to increase your water intake before you feel thirsty.

Limit caffeine and alcohol intake.

We love our coffee, but it doesn’t make us feel our best once the summer heat hits us. Herbal teas, especially iced ones, are a summer treat that keeps us feeling good and are tasty!

Our family is also obsessed with sparkling water, which can get super pricey fast in summer! Years ago, we were gifted a sparkling water maker, which has become one of our most loved and used kitchen items. Squeezing lime or adding it to our iced herbal teas creates a wonderful and hydrating wind-down time drink. Once you’re dehydrated, it’s difficult to rehydrate in summer, especially when doing labor-intensive tasks.

Replenish essential electrolytes.

If you drink water but aren’t feeling the benefits or feel like it’s flushing out, you probably need some good salts that help your cells hold onto the water. A pinch of Celtic salt in your water, or what we love, is this brand of electrolyte drink pack. We try to stay away from artificial coloring, additives, and sugars where we can, and we find this brand to be clean and make us feel rejuvenated despite sweating in the field! We did think at full strength, the packet is a little strong for our taste so we upped the water ratio. I like to use my big water bottle with it.

Keep fresh-cut fruit or popsicles on hand for a rejuvenating and hydrating snack.

It is way too easy to get caught up in the task at hand, often pushing off eating, probably for longer than we should. This isn’t because we aren’t hungry but because stopping and making food seems too much of a hassle.

To combat this, we keep a lot of fresh fruit prepped around the house and various vegetables, my favorite being hakurei turnips when we have them! Having prepped fruits and veggies makes grabbing a quick snack or lunch easy and gives kids healthy, hydrating, and accessible foods to eat.

Tip #2: Cover up buttercup

The power of shade cloth for the flower field

Plants, like us, can feel the heat. Our field, bathed in full sun with limited shade, can be a challenging environment for our crops. This is where shade cloth steps in, playing a crucial role in maintaining the health of our plants and proving to be one of our best investments!

Shade cloth has many benefits, such as:

Season extension.

During exceptionally hot days in late spring, we've turned to shade cloth to prevent our spring crops from prematurely wilting. The occasional temperature spike, reaching the high nineties or even triple digits in mid-June, can be detrimental. However, with the use of shade cloth, we've managed to keep our anemones blooming even in July, preserving their beauty for longer!

Temperature control for infrastructure.

Though we don’t always need shade cloth for that purpose, we put it over at least one of our propagation houses each summer to keep it cooler and more manageable for starting our biennials. It is also beneficial to help crops grow in a high tunnel, where it can get too hot without some added shade.

It helps lessen transplant shock.

Shade cloth or even some lightweight frost cloth is also useful for covering freshly planted transplants. It prevents them from getting sun calls or becoming too stressed, resulting in less crop loss and a quicker rebound.

Cover Up, Flower Farmer!

The idea of a tank top and shorts might sound inviting, but that outfit is best for the lake.

Being in the sun as much as we are as flower farmers means we need to protect our skin. This will not only keep us looking young and beautiful but also lessen our risk of skin cancer or bad sunburn that makes us tired and miserable. Some of our tasks also have us standing or squatting in the same position for hours, which means the sun is beating us in the same spots.

In almost all our photos, I’m rocking a flannel. No, it’s not because I find it super fashionable, but rather, we’ve learned it’s best to dress in layers. A lightweight flannel shirt helps keep us cooler and protects our skin. We also wear long pants. There are bugs, spiky weeds, and sunburnt thighs that just plain hurt, you know, sunburn when you feel like your skin will split! So, pants that are comfortable and breathable.

I love this brand hat for working in the field. It helps to keep my face and neck shaded, which helps lessen the likelihood of headaches. We are also sunglasses killers, and it’s hard to find ones that won’t slide off our faces when we look down. We snagged a pair of these sunglasses; the price is right, and we won’t be heartbroken if we break them!

It’s not a cover-up, but when we are outside, and it gets hot, a towel moistened with cold water draped around the neck is a game changer! Flip it or run water over it once in a while. It helps so much from getting overheated!

Tip #3: Avoid the field 10 am - 5 pm

It’s better for the plants

Let me tell you, waiting a few hours or a day to transplant seedlings will not be as bad as rushing to transplant them during the heat of the day. Your plant babies will reward you if you wait to transplant them either early in the morning or, even better- after the heat of the day in the early evening. They are less likely to wilt and will rebound quicker.

If you need foliar spray fertilizer or biopesticides, try to save the task until early in the morning before the benefits are out or at dusk after the plants go to bed. Only spray when the plants are hydrated and out of direct sun. After all, we aim to help the plants, not stress or burn them.

It’s better for the flower farmer

We get it; some things need tending to, and you feel behind.

By adjusting your schedule, you can take control of your productivity. You'll find that you're much more efficient in focusing on other tasks during the heat of the day and more productive working the cooler hours in the field.

Some tasks out of the heat:

Designing bouquets/orders
Gathering inventory/ placing fall orders (seeds, corms, bulbs, supplies, etc.)
Prep items for evening tasks (earwig traps, fertilizers, etc.)
Social Media/ Email Campaigns
Availability lists
Customer communication/ consults
Shower, feel human
Rest

If you are ambitious, I’m sure there’s laundry and dishes to catch up on…

Some flower farmers have taken to the vampire schedule during summer, working the field at night and sleeping during the day- it’s tempting! We have been those weirdos with flood lights and headlamps at night planting or harvesting. Headlamps are an odd tool we keep in our arsenal, and we have used them many times for tasks in the field (in the winter, too!). The heat makes us more sluggish, and there are quite a few tasks that shouldn’t be done in the heat of the day, such as harvesting, transplanting, and even weeding.

Hide indoors in the afternoon. You’ll thank yourself.

To have a sustainable and successful flower farm, you need to take care of yourself and make good choices for your product. Customers don’t want to purchase wilted flowers from a wilted flower farmer. The flower farming season isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon, which means slow and steady ultimately wins the race.

Work smarter, not harder, and you will be rewarded.

I hope some of these tips help!

Please, if you have any tips to share please do so in the comment section below!