Recently everyone has been very concerned about the question of Start of Autumn, but as things stand now, Major Heat has not yet arrived, so there is still some time before Start of Autumn. This year, Start of Autumn falls on the 26th day of the sixth lunar month, which is August 7 on the solar calendar. This happens to match the first half of the saying "Start of Autumn in the sixth month, neither harvest is good."

What exactly does this saying mean?

First, let us look at Start of Autumn. Start of Autumn is the first solar term of autumn, but although it is the first solar term of autumn, the weather at this time is not necessarily cool, because there are still more than ten days between Start of Autumn and End of Heat, and during these ten-plus days the weather is still extremely hot.

Why is it said that Start of Autumn in the sixth month is bad?

Because of the calculations of astronomy and the calendar, the date of Start of Autumn differs from year to year. This year, Start of Autumn falls in the sixth month, but in some years it falls in the seventh month. Obviously, if Start of Autumn falls in the sixth month, the weather will turn cool relatively early, and crops encountering a drop in temperature during their growing period will naturally affect the grain harvest.

But why is it said that "neither harvest is good"?

If we speak only of one end, the autumn harvest, it is relatively easy to understand, because during the autumn harvest season, if the weather turns cold relatively early, it will naturally affect the growth conditions of the autumn-harvested crops. But why would it also affect the "summer harvest"?

Since Start of Autumn falls in the sixth month, naturally the solar terms before Start of Autumn are also earlier than in other years, and this will naturally affect the summer harvest. Take Pure Brightness, for example: this year Pure Brightness fell on the 20th day of the second lunar month, so naturally the weather at that time was still very cold, which was very unfavorable for the growth of wheat. Coincidentally, this year the wheat in the North China region was affected by a late spring cold snap. This year's poor summer harvest has already become a fact. However, how the autumn harvest will turn out still depends on the next two months or so.

But everyone may overlook a small issue: the region in which the 24 solar terms originated, and this has a great deal to do with where the 24 solar terms apply. The 24 solar terms already existed as early as the Qin and Han dynasties. The region where they originated was near the Yellow River basin. Therefore, much of the 24 solar terms relating to farming activities applies to farming activities in the Yellow River area.

Here is a small example to illustrate. Take Start of Autumn: although Start of Autumn has arrived, many regions of our country have not truly entered autumn in the real sense. This is because judging whether autumn has entered depends on the continuous accumulated temperature of a place. If the average temperature remains below 22°C for more than five consecutive days, then that place has truly entered autumn. But at the time of Start of Autumn, regions like the Northeast have long since entered autumn mode, while the Huaihai region has to wait for a period after Start of Autumn.

So from this point of view, farming activities cannot be determined entirely according to rural sayings; farming activities must also be adopted according to local conditions.

The above comes from Science for Agriculture.