The solstice is the day when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky at noon, making it the longest day of the year with the shortest night.
The term “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). At the solstice, the angle between the Sun’s rays and the plane of the Earth’s equator appears to stand still.
Summer solstice provides almost six hours more sunlight than at the same point in the winter. This is important for gardeners because of the effect on how their plants flower in their garden.
Temperatures are about to get very hot, but you can still expect germination and good growth from the first day of summer planting.
Vegetables, flowers, herbs and even next year’s perennials may all be started at summer solstice.
Some of the best plants to start at solstice are those in the cabbage family. Among these, kale can survive frosts and often continues growing in mild winter conditions.
Other vegetables that are great for planting during the solstice are:
Some other seeds may not germinate in temperatures that are too hot. In that case, start seeds indoors and then plant them outside in prepared beds.