Beginning of Summer Farming

Around Beginning of Summer, spring sowing reaches its peak across Northeast China. Temperatures rise steadily to 15–20°C, soil temperatures continue increasing, and maize, soybeans, rice, and other major crops move into their optimal planting windows.
Maize sowing expands fully. Northeast China is one of the country’s core maize-producing regions, and maize planting reaches its peak around Beginning of Summer. Sowing is generally concentrated from early to mid-May, once soil temperature remains steadily above 10–12°C and moisture conditions are suitable. Farmers make intensive use of clear weather, with large seeders working day and night and completing sowing, fertilization, and rolling in a single operation. Planting depth is generally 4–6 centimeters, adjusted according to soil moisture, with row spacing of 60–65 centimeters; plant density per *mu* varies according to cultivar and soil fertility, but generally falls around 4,000–5,000 plants per *mu*. Across Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning, maize-sown acreage reaches its annual peak around Beginning of Summer.
Soybean sowing begins successively. Soybean planting starts around Beginning of Summer, somewhat later than maize, once soil temperature remains steadily above 10°C. Seed is generally placed 3–5 centimeters deep at row spacing of 40–50 centimeters, with planting density adjusted according to cultivar. Soybeans are an important rotation crop in Northeast China and form a complementary cropping structure with maize.
Rice seedling raising enters a critical stage. Around Beginning of Summer, rice nurseries across Northeast China enter an important management period: seedlings have developed three to four leaves and reach the “三叶一心” stage. Farmers strengthen temperature control, maintaining 20–25°C during the day and no lower than 10°C at night, while keeping nursery beds moist and preventing damping-off and seedling rot. Seedling age is generally controlled at 30–35 days, with transplantation into the main field taking place at the “四叶一心” stage, usually in mid- to late May. Rice seedling raising expands fully across producing areas of Heilongjiang and Jilin.
Soil-moisture monitoring and drought prevention. Beginning of Summer is a crucial spring-sowing period in Northeast China, and spring drought remains a major threat. Farmers need to monitor 墒情 closely; fields with inadequate moisture may require irrigation before sowing or the use of drought-resistant planting techniques. In recent years, conservation tillage—including no-till, reduced tillage, and straw mulching—has been promoted across the region and has effectively improved soil-water retention.
Pasture management. Pastures in eastern Inner Mongolia enter rapid growth and livestock shift fully to grazing. Herders need to control grazing intensity and adopt rotational grazing systems to prevent overgrazing from damaging pasture recovery.
Protected agriculture. Peak greenhouse-vegetable production continues in southern Liaoning, while open-field vegetables enter rapid growth.

Around Beginning of Summer, Northwest China enters the final sprint of spring planting: spring-wheat sowing moves into its last available window, cotton planting expands fully, and winter wheat in southern Xinjiang enters heading and flowering.
Final sprint of spring-wheat sowing. Across the Hexi Corridor in Gansu and Yellow River irrigation districts of Ningxia, spring-wheat sowing enters its last major push around Beginning of Summer. The 顶凌播种 window is about to close, and any fields not yet planted need to be completed quickly. Sown area reaches its annual maximum around this time, and once planting is finished farmers move immediately into field management, including stand inspection and gap filling, irrigation, and fertilization.
Cotton planting expands fully. Xinjiang is China’s largest cotton-producing region, and Beginning of Summer is a critical planting period. Cotton-growing areas in both southern and northern Xinjiang expand planting once soil temperature remains steadily above 14–15°C. Under-film drip irrigation is widely used, combining plastic-film laying, sowing, and drip-line installation in one operation to conserve moisture, raise soil temperature, and promote early growth. Seed is generally planted 2–3 centimeters deep, with row spacing determined by machinery type and usually around 60–70 centimeters. Cotton acreage reaches its annual peak around Beginning of Summer, making sowing quality directly relevant to farmers’ annual income.
Management of winter wheat from heading to flowering in southern Xinjiang. Winter wheat in the Tarim Basin enters heading and flowering around Beginning of Summer as young ears emerge from the stems and begin pollination. This is a crucial stage for determining kernel number and thousand-kernel weight, with water and nutrient demand reaching its annual maximum. Farmers irrigate promptly at 50–60 cubic meters per *mu* and apply 穗肥 (*panicle or ear fertilizer*) at 5–8 kilograms of urea per *mu*. Weather must be watched particularly closely during heading and flowering: persistent cloud and rain may interfere with pollination and reduce seed set, while hot, dry winds may deactivate pollen and lower kernel number. Before such winds arrive, farmers may apply foliar fertilizer such as monopotassium phosphate to strengthen stress resistance.
Final stage of spring irrigation. Spring irrigation across Gansu, Ningxia, and western Inner Mongolia enters its final stage around Beginning of Summer. Wheat fields that have not yet been irrigated need to complete the work quickly so winter wheat receives adequate moisture through heading and flowering. Spring irrigation generally ends around this period.
Orchard management. Apples, fragrant pears, grapes, and other fruit crops in southern Xinjiang move from flowering into fruit set. Growers focus on flower and fruit thinning, apply fruit-setting fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium to support fruit development, and control pear psylla, aphids, spider mites, and other pests entering treatment windows.
Specialty crops. Potato planting expands fully around Dingxi, Gansu; goji in Ningxia enters flowering and requires stronger water and nutrient management; and processing-tomato planting expands fully across Xinjiang.

Around Beginning of Summer, North China reaches the most critical stage for determining winter-wheat yield, as heading and flowering become fully established while spring-maize sowing also reaches its peak.
Management of winter wheat during heading and flowering. Winter wheat across the North China Plain enters full heading and flowering as young ears emerge from the stem and begin pollination. This period is decisive for both kernel number and thousand-kernel weight, and the crop’s demand for water and nutrients becomes especially urgent. Management centers on securing moisture supply by irrigating fields with inadequate soil moisture at 40–50 cubic meters per *mu*, guarding against hot, dry winds—which are particularly damaging during heading and flowering—by applying foliar fertilizers in advance to strengthen stress resistance, and controlling major pests and diseases such as wheat rust, powdery mildew, aphids, and wheat midge. The precision of management at this stage directly affects final yield, making close attention to both weather forecasts and field conditions essential.
Peak spring-maize planting. Spring maize across the North China Plain reaches its sowing peak around Beginning of Summer. Planting is generally concentrated from early to mid-May, once soil temperature remains steadily above 12°C and soil moisture is suitable. Sown acreage reaches its annual maximum at this time, and farmers seize periods of clear weather for concentrated planting, with large seeders often operating day and night. After sowing, fields need to be checked promptly and gaps replanted so that emergence is full and even.
Hot, dry wind prevention. Around Beginning of Summer, 干热风 (*hot, dry wind*) begins appearing across North China, defined here as conditions with temperatures of 30°C or higher, relative humidity of 30% or lower, and wind speed of at least 3 meters per second. Such weather is extremely damaging to winter wheat during heading and flowering, potentially causing pollen failure and poorly filled kernels, with severe cases reducing yield by 10–20%. Farmers need to take preventive measures before hot, dry winds arrive, including spraying foliar fertilizer such as monopotassium phosphate combined with amino-acid water-soluble fertilizer, irrigating at the proper time to raise field humidity and lower temperature, and applying growth regulators to improve stress resistance.
Pest and disease control. As temperatures rise, wheat pests and diseases enter a high-incidence period. Key targets include wheat rust—both leaf rust and stripe rust—treated with triadimefon or tebuconazole; wheat powdery mildew, treated with triadimefon; aphids, treated with imidacloprid; and wheat midge, treated with lambda-cyhalothrin. Farmers should inspect fields at least once a week and treat problems promptly when detected.
Fruit-set to early fruit-enlargement management. Apple-, pear-, and peach-growing regions move from fruit set into the early stage of fruit enlargement. Growers thin overly dense, malformed, or pest-damaged young fruit, generally leaving 1–2 fruits per apple cluster and 1–3 fruits per pear cluster, while peach fruit load is adjusted according to cultivar and tree vigor. They apply 膨果肥 (*fruit-enlargement fertilizer*), primarily potash, to promote development, and strengthen control of apple ring rot, pear scab, peach aphids, oriental fruit moth, and other pests and diseases entering treatment windows.
Vegetable sowing and transplantation. Open-field vegetable sowing reaches its peak across North China, with spring radish, spring Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, yardlong beans, and other major vegetables being sown or transplanted. Greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers enter peak harvest.

Around Beginning of Summer, the middle and lower Yangtze enters the closing phase of spring agriculture, as early-rice transplantation approaches completion, rapeseed reaches maturity and harvest, and spring-tea picking comes to an end.
Early-rice transplantation approaches completion. Across the Yangtze River basin, early-rice transplantation moves into its final stage around Beginning of Summer. In southern Jiangnan—including Jiangxi, southern Hunan, and southern Zhejiang—transplantation is largely complete and rice enters post-transplant recovery and early tillering. In northern Jiangnan—including Anhui, southern Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang—transplantation moves from peak activity toward completion and is generally finished around Beginning of Summer. After transplanting, farmers maintain a shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters to support 返青 (*post-transplant recovery*) and low-position tillering.
Rapeseed maturity and harvest. Rapeseed across the Yangtze River basin enters maturity and harvest around Beginning of Summer, with pods turning from green to yellow and seeds changing from green to brown as physiological maturity is reached. Farmers seize periods of clear weather to harvest—either manually or mechanically—then dry, thresh, clean, and store the crop. The harvest season generally runs from Beginning of Summer to 小满 (Xiǎomǎn, Grain Buds); harvesting too early produces insufficiently filled seed, while harvesting too late increases the risk of pod shattering and seed loss. Fields are plowed immediately after harvest to prepare for the next crop, usually middle-season or late rice.
Spring-tea harvest ends. In tea-growing areas of Jiangnan—including Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi—spring-tea picking is largely finished by Beginning of Summer. The season runs for roughly one month, beginning before Qingming and ending around Beginning of Summer. After Grain Rain, spring-tea quality declines as buds and leaves become older and bitterness and astringency increase, so growers stop picking spring tea and shift into summer garden management, including pruning, fertilization, and pest and disease control.
Ditch clearing and waterlogging prevention. Rainfall continues increasing around Beginning of Summer and field humidity remains high. Farmers need to keep drainage systems under close inspection and ensure that the “三沟” remain open to prevent waterlogging. After rapeseed harvest, fields should be plowed and drained promptly in preparation for the next crop.
Greenhouse and open-field vegetables. Greenhouse fruiting vegetables across the Yangtze basin enter peak harvest, with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers reaching the market in large quantities. Open-field vegetables also move into rapid growth and harvest, with yardlong beans, green beans, eggplants, peppers, and other summer vegetables appearing successively.

Around Beginning of Summer, agricultural activity across Southwest China enters the closing stage of spring: early-rice transplantation is fully completed, winter wheat moves into grain filling, spring-tea harvesting approaches its end, and potatoes enter tuber formation.
Early-rice transplantation is fully completed. In southern Yunnan—including Xishuangbanna and Honghe—and in the Panxi region of Sichuan, early-rice transplantation is fully finished around Beginning of Summer. After transplanting, farmers maintain a shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters to encourage recovery and tillering. The warm lowland valleys of Yunnan have abundant heat resources, allowing early rice to grow rapidly, and some fields already enter peak tillering.
Winter-wheat grain-filling management. Winter wheat in the Sichuan Basin enters grain filling around Beginning of Summer as kernels begin to fill and become plump, making this a crucial stage for determining thousand-kernel weight. Water supply must be secured by irrigating when soil moisture is insufficient, hot, dry winds need to be guarded against through foliar fertilizer applications that strengthen stress resistance, and pests and diseases such as wheat rust and aphids require continued control. Management at grain filling directly affects both thousand-kernel weight and final yield.
Spring-tea harvesting approaches completion. Tea-growing areas across Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan enter the final stage of spring-tea picking around Beginning of Summer. The harvest season begins before Qingming and generally ends around Beginning of Summer, after which growers stop picking spring tea and shift to summer garden management, including pruning, fertilization, and pest and disease control.
Potato tuber-formation management. Spring potatoes in major producing areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan enter tuber formation around Beginning of Summer. Underground tubers begin to develop and enlarge, making this a decisive stage for yield formation. Management centers on carrying out the final intertillage and earthing-up before tubers enlarge, preventing tubers from being exposed to light and turning green; applying 结薯肥 (*tuber-setting fertilizer*), mainly potash, to support enlargement; and controlling late blight, the crop’s most important disease, which enters its peak prevention period around Beginning of Summer and is treated with mancozeb or metalaxyl.
Rapeseed harvest. Rapeseed in Sichuan and Guizhou enters maturity and harvest, with farmers taking advantage of clear weather to cut, dry, and store the crop.

#### (1) Mainland South China
Management of early rice during young-panicle differentiation. Early rice across South China enters young-panicle differentiation around Beginning of Summer, with panicles developing rapidly within the stem. Because this stage is critical for determining kernel number, farmers maintain a shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters without allowing the field to dry, apply 穗肥 (*panicle fertilizer*), primarily potash, at 5–8 kilograms of potassium chloride per *mu*, and carry out 晒田控苗 (*draining and drying the paddy to regulate crop growth*) once unproductive tillers have been brought under control. Young-panicle differentiation is a key stage in yield formation, and the precision of management directly influences kernel number and final production.
Growth management of spring peanuts and spring maize. Spring peanuts move from peak flowering and pegging into early pod formation, with large numbers of flowers opening and fertilized pegs extending into the soil to form pods. Management includes a third intertillage, application of 结荚肥 (*pod-setting fertilizer*) at 10–15 kilograms of compound fertilizer per *mu*, and control of peanut leaf spot, aphids, cotton bollworm, and other pests and diseases. Spring maize moves from tasseling into silking: tassels emerge, female ears produce silks, and pollination begins, making stronger water and nutrient management necessary, including 穗肥 at 8–10 kilograms of urea per *mu*. Tasseling and silking form a critical water-demand period for maize, and drought at this stage can lead to poor pollination and reduced kernel number.
Fruit retention and summer-shoot management in tropical orchards. Mangoes in Hainan and Guangxi move from young-fruit development into the early stage of fruit enlargement and require continued 保果 (*fruit-retention management*), including fruit-retention sprays, thinning of overly dense young fruit, and control of mango gall midges and thrips. Early lychee cultivars such as “三月红” and “白糖罂” enter fruit enlargement and require stronger water and nutrient supply, while middle- and late-season cultivars move into the young-fruit stage and require careful fruit retention. Citrus in Guangdong and Guangxi enters the young-fruit stage, where nitrogen application must be controlled to prevent excessive summer-shoot growth from interfering with fruit set, while citrus red mites, leaf miners, and other pests need to be controlled.
Vegetables and aquaculture. Open-field vegetables across South China enter rapid growth and peak harvest. As temperatures rise, pests and diseases also enter a high-incidence period and require stronger control. In aquaculture, fish enter rapid growth, feed amounts increase gradually, and water-quality management and disease prevention become increasingly important. South China also enters its early flood season, with more frequent heavy rainfall, so aquaculture operations need to guard against flood damage.
#### (2) Taiwan
Rice: The first rice crop in central Taiwan—including Changhua, Yunlin, and the Chianan Plain—enters grain filling around Beginning of Summer as kernels begin to become full and plump, making this a key stage for thousand-kernel weight. Fields should maintain a shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters, receive 粒肥 (*grain-filling fertilizer*), primarily potash, and remain under close observation for panicle-stage pests and diseases such as rice blast, sheath blight, and stem borers. In the south, particularly the Kaohsiung–Pingtung region, rice reaches peak grain filling and requires similar management. In the north, including Taoyuan and Hsinchu, rice moves from peak tillering toward young-panicle differentiation.
Vegetables: Vegetable sowing and transplantation continue across Taiwan during Beginning of Summer. In central areas, watermelon, cucumber, muskmelon, and other cucurbits remain at the peak of sowing and seedling raising, while southern areas continue peak transplantation of ginger, 越瓜, and related crops. Tomato harvesting is largely complete.
Fruit trees: Mangoes in southern Taiwan move from the young-fruit stage into early fruit enlargement and require attention to fruit retention and mango gall midge control. Lychees progress from young-fruit development into fruit enlargement and require both fruit-retention management and control of fruit borers. Citrus remains in the young-fruit stage and excessive summer-shoot growth needs to be controlled.
Tea: Spring-tea harvesting in central and southern tea districts such as Nantou and Chiayi is largely finished by Beginning of Summer, and growers shift into summer garden management through pruning, fertilization, and pest and disease control. In northern tea districts such as Wenshan and Sanxia, spring-tea harvesting enters its final stage.
Fisheries: Catches in waters around Taiwan continue to increase during Beginning of Summer and the spring fishing season reaches its peak, with mackerel, Spanish mackerel, pomfret, and other species continuing to be landed. Coastal fishing vessels go to sea frequently.
Farmer’s proverbs and folk customs: Taiwanese folk tradition preserves the custom “立夏補老爸”, in which married daughters return to their parental homes around Beginning of Summer to visit their fathers, echoing the Grain Rain custom of “補老母” and expressing the tradition of filial care. Another saying, “立夏吃蛋，力氣長百”, refers to the custom of eating eggs at Beginning of Summer, symbolizing greater physical strength and a safe passage through the summer.