The longest day
The sun climbs to its highest, the light stretches as far as it will go all year — and then, so quietly you'd never notice, the year begins to lean back towards winter.
That's the most light you'll get all year — and far further from the dark months than you might think.
How long that longest day runs comes down entirely to how far north you stand — pale gold in the south, deep gold up north. Click anywhere on the map for that spot's sunrise, sunset and daylight.
Daylight on the longest day
The year turns here
On the solstice the sun reaches its highest arc across the sky and hangs there, near enough still, for a few days — the word itself means “sun stands still.” It's the peak of the light, the shortest night, the very top of the growing year.
Don't expect to feel the turn straight away. For a few weeks the days barely shorten — a minute or two a week, no more. It's not until August that the evenings visibly draw in and you find yourself reaching for the shed light a little earlier. But the turn has begun, and a good grower plants for it.
Midsummer in the veg patch
The plot is at its fullest now — but the longest day is also a quiet nudge to think ahead. With months of warmth still in the soil, this is the moment to keep the harvests rolling and to start sowing the crops that'll feed you when the light has gone.
Keep it coming
Sow a short row of something quick every couple of weeks and you'll never have a gap: salad leaves, beetroot, dwarf beans, carrots, spring onions.
The succession-sowing guide →And from here the balance tips from sowing towards gathering. As your crops come in, the harvest planner works out when each is ready for your postcode — and come autumn, the frost map shows how long you've got before the cold closes in.
See everything worth sowing this week, tuned to your postcode →
One quirk of all this high midsummer sun: low at dawn and dusk, it throws long shadows. Keep your tallest crops to the north of the bed so they don't shade out the rest — watch how it works.
Common questions
When is the longest day in the UK?
The summer solstice, around 21 June each year — the day with the most daylight and the shortest night. After it, the days slowly begin to draw in again.
How much daylight is there on the longest day?
It depends where you are: roughly 16 hours 15 minutes in the far south-west of England, and over 18 hours 30 minutes up in Shetland. Add your postcode for your own exact figure.
What should you sow at midsummer?
Keep quick crops coming with successions of salad, beetroot and beans, and start the hardy crops for autumn and winter — kale, leeks, chard and spring cabbage all want sowing now.
Growers have marked this day for as long as there have been growers — bonfires on the shortest night, the year balanced on its turning point. Stand on the plot on a midsummer evening, with the light going on and on, and you'll understand exactly why it was worth celebrating.