I don’t really have a preference for seasons. I like them all for different reasons, but if I had to pick just one, it would probably be summer…

Summer is a time of great activity, of fun, and opportunity, but it’s also a time for getting work done! Such is life when you’ve chosen to live on a homestead of your own.

And if you live on a homestead, you already know you’ll have lots of summertime hustle and bustle. In the summer rush, it’s easy to forget about some of the most important chores you should be tending to.

Keep reading and I’ll tell you about the most important homestead chores you should be doing when summer finally arrives…

Prevent Ponding and Flooding

With the arrival of summer comes the arrival of rainy, rough weather. Assuming you put it off this long, it’s definitely well past time to address any possible flooding issues on your property. News flash for you, they won’t get any better with time until you deal with them.

Now’s the time to think about installing drains, culverts, dams and any other water control or flood prevention methods.

Of course, this will require a little bit of homework and probably plenty of elbow grease, maybe even some heavy equipment, but it’s well worth it to protect your investment not just in your home but your other buildings, animals, and more.

One last quick tip: make sure you investigate the relevant local codes or state laws that might dictate what you can do concerning surface water moving over your property and onto a neighbor’s. You definitely don’t want to start a war over it!

Clean Gutters and Downspouts

Speaking of rain and flooding, neglecting your gutters and downspouts, no doubt full of leaves and after the winter and spring, is a wonderful way to facilitate damaging standing water around your buildings.

Time to bust out that ladder, bucket and your gloves to clean out those gutters assuming you don’t have them covered with screens. It’s not particularly difficult, but it is annoying and time-consuming. Nonetheless, it needs to be done.

You should also consider setting up a gutter guard system while you are up there.

Professionally installed ones can cost a fortune, but the clip-on varieties that snap onto the rim of the gutter and then slide under your shingles are pretty affordable and effective. I’ve relied on those myself for years…

Get Livestock their Shots, Meds, etc.

When you’re a homesteader, it’s easy to feel like your animals get better healthcare than you do. For some of us, that’s true! If our animals are our livelihood it’s easy to see why…

Summer often heralds illnesses of all kinds since all sorts of microorganisms, pests and parasites are flourishing. They create and multiply as an ecosystem that is ripe with all sorts of diseases.

Combine that with greater activity from our animals, and you can bet your bottom dollar that instances of illness and infection are going to skyrocket.

It just makes sense then that you need to stay on top of getting your animals vaccinated, including their booster shots, and also any routine medications that they need including pest preventatives.

Taking care of this sooner rather than later means you won’t have as many issues to deal with throughout the season, and your animals will be able to enjoy a healthy and happy summer themselves.

Expand Your Flocks

With the arrival of consistently warm weather, you’ve got the perfect opportunity to expand your flocks, whether you have chickens, ducks, or geese.

Chicks, ducklings, and goslings are all extremely vulnerable to cold weather, so waiting until you have warm weather out means that if you want to let your mamas do what they do best and hatch their own babies – and they’ll have the best chance of survival.

Even if you’re going to do it yourself with an incubator and brooder, you won’t have to worry about drafts and you’ll have higher rates of egg viability generally compared to winter layings.

Plus, when your babies are getting old enough to venture outside for the first time you can do so with a lot less risk during the consistent warmth and brightness of a summer day compared even to springtime and most certainly to winter.

Then they’ll be ready to join the flock properly before the weather turns too cold…

Tune-Up Your Tools, Tractor, and Mower

With more opportunities for work and chores of all kinds, it’s imperative that you save yourself a ton of effort and countless headaches by taking care of your tools before they break down. I find the summer tune-up to be truly perfect since you’ll be heading into the “heavy use” season.

Take the time to inspect, oil, and sharpen (if needed) all of your manual tools while treating them for rust. Power equipment should be inspected, given fresh fuel, an oil change, and anything else required to maximize efficiency and safe operation.

Don’t forget to take care of your tractor and lawn mower, if you have them, because they’ll certainly be getting quite the workout in the coming months.

Preventative maintenance takes only a little time and costs only pennies compared to costly repairs, and that doesn’t include the opportunity cost of lost days of work either!

More Water For Your Livestock

Your animals always need fresh water to drink, but compared to the spring and fall when you can maybe get away with skipping a day (assuming they’ve got plenty of it), they will need daily refills in the summertime.

Between greatly increased consumption to compensate for the relentless heat and the evaporation caused by high temps, water will be in constant demand on your homestead. And these demands must be met for the health of your animals!

Don’t forget to clean out troughs, waterers, and any other water sources periodically to cut down on germs and prevent the spread of disease.

Muck Out Coops and Stalls

You already knew this was going to be on the list. And, yes, it’s true that the leavings of your animals will need looking after at all times throughout the year, but it is especially important in the summertime.

With insects, rodents, and other pestilential creatures on the move in tremendous numbers, if you don’t stay on top of waste control the stage will be set for an epidemic that can devastate the health of your herds and flocks and maybe even your own family. There’s nothing for it except to do it.

However, if you want to maximize efficiency around your homestead it’s a great time to look into composting or the production of fertilizer using different kinds of animal manure. That way you can kill two birds with one stone- or I guess one turd in this case.

Take Care of Home and Property Improvements

There are countless things that need attending to on your property, and that includes your home and annexes. Do you have any loose boards or bad fittings? Any lights that have started to go crooked, or gates that have started to bind? Any rot taking hold or junk piling up?

Is it something that is strictly optional, like the installation of some landscaping or a nice new mailbox? I could go on and on, but the point is that summer is the time to do it.

You’ll have longer days and generally more favorable weather, though of course, you’ve got to put up with the heat. Mid-morning and late afternoon are the times to tackle intensive tasks if you are wary of heat exhaustion.

Pest-proof Your Home

Your animals aren’t the only ones that will be suffering from rampaging pests in the summertime. If you don’t stay on top of it, your home will be full of flies, mosquitoes, mice, and every other kind of creepy crawlies that can cause problems or bite you.

A quick summertime once-over to pest-proof your home is mandatory. Start by checking all of the seals and jams, and weather stripping around doors and windows.

Then inspect your soffits and openings for pipes and electrical conduits; any opening that is large enough to admit a bug or mouse will result in them getting inside, though focusing down on the doors and windows will go a long way on its own. If you don’t have screen doors or window coverings, consider installing them.

After that, you can rely on all-natural pest repellents, traps, and other measures to depopulate the critters that are too close for comfort or keep them away in the first place. With a little bit of effort and some easy ongoing upkeep, your home will stay pest-free in the summertime.

Pest Proof Your Garden

Every gardener knows that summer brings on intense challenges when it comes to pest infestation. If you’ve got a garden, you need to take steps to pest-proof it just like you do your home.

But, the approach is entirely different since the garden is outside pretty much all the time. The “nuclear option,” the one most gardeners tried to avoid, is the installation of row covers or mesh netting to physically keep harmful insects off of their plants.

You can also try planting companion crops that will either distract or deter anything that might be getting after your harvest.

You can also attract or import pest predator bugs that, while they won’t hurt your fruits and veggies, will hurt those insects that prey upon them. And, of course, it’s possible to resort to various pesticides so these should be used with the greatest of care for health and safety.

Get in Some Canning Practice

Well before the summer harvest comes in, you should be getting in some canning practice if you haven’t already. It’s always good to knock the rust off, and if you’ve never done it before it only looks easy on paper.

It is a surprisingly nuanced, intricate operation, more art than science, and accordingly, it needs a lot of practice to do well without mishap.

If you can get some early fruits and veggies from someone, you can practice with those, or else you can purchase some fresh produce from the grocery and try with that.

The main thing is that you practice so you’ll understand how your canning setup works and also so you can inspect all of your components for viability. Even incidental damage can result in a ruined can and spoiled contents!

Plus, put in the time now in the summer and you’ll be an ace by the time your winter harvest rolls around.

Milk Your Cows and Goats

Your lactating animals must be milked no matter what the season, but it’s even more important to do it in the summertime and stay on top of it. Compared to the winter routine, you’ll have a lot more competition for your time and so it’s even more pressing that you don’t miss a milking session.

Your cows, goats, and sheep, if you keep some for milk, will be more active, eating more fresh food and many of them will be cranking out bigger and healthier babies thanks to the weather. You can’t let them down, so make sure you prioritize milking daily.

Start Seeds for Fall Planting

There’s plenty to do in the summertime to keep you busy from now until Kingdom Come, but you still need to keep one eye on the future.

If there are any fall plants that you plan on getting in the ground, and you’re going to start them as seeds, you need to do it in the summertime so they have plenty of time to germinate.

I know so many homesteaders that are notorious for waiting too late to start seeds and then they have a rushed and invariably haphazard fall planting. I know because I’m one of them!

Take it from me; this greatly increases the risk that at least some of your plants will fail. That’s sad because it’s so avoidable! Get those seeds started now while you still have time.

Take Care of Weeding

It isn’t the most important, but it is the most constant and, personally, my most hated summer chore on the homestead: weeding. Even so, it must be done. Whether it’s your lawn, garden, raised beds, or anywhere else, weeds are a persistent problem.

The best weed prevention method is simply to make sure your own grass and other plants are as healthy and robust as possible so the weeds can’t compete. No matter what, though, there are always a few to pluck out.

I make it a point to go for a little walk around my property in the morning and the evening picking off any weeds that catch my eye. Done regularly, you won’t have to deal with an onslaught of weeding over the course of a few days.

Give Livestock Regular Checkups

Once your livestock have their shots, boosters, and any ongoing medication your job still isn’t done. You need to inspect your animals on a regular basis, and I mean really inspect them.

It’s important to get up close and look them over for any signs of pest infestation, flystrike, injury, infection, rash, or anything else that is upsetting them or reducing their quality of life.

Sure, anyone can spot an animal that is greatly distressed once something has gone on way too long, but that suffering is entirely avoidable if you’re diligent about giving your animals routine checkups.

In my experience most livestock species tend to be quite stoic, so if you don’t spot the problem you won’t know until it’s very far along.

Mend Fences

You know what they say, good fences make good neighbors and in the case of us homesteaders that is especially crucial: without good fences, our animals can run amok and we’ll be responsible for the trouble they cause!

Accordingly, since your animals will be moving around and “testing” fences far more regularly in the summer it is imperative that you closely inspect and repair all of your fences.

From the chicken wire around the run to the split rail fence enclosing your property, look them over and take care of them as quickly as possible.

Defer maintenance on your fencing at your own peril!

Paint Your Home, Fences, and Buildings

Paint is just another part of maintenance, though an especially laborious one. Although some homesteading green horns think of it as merely decorative, we veterans know that paint is crucial for weatherizing and ensuring longevity no matter the surface.

But applying paint is likewise an art: good preparation is required along with favorable weather conditions to prevent failure and wasted effort. It is summer that typically furnishes those favorable conditions, which means it’s time to bust out the paintbrush and roller.

Perform Predator Control

Aside from a great increase in pest activity, predators will also be on the move in the summertime. No matter what sort of animals you have, there are bound to be predators that can endanger or upset them.

Wolves, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, possums, badgers, rats, snakes, owls, hawks, and more- all will be out prowling and sometimes growling, looking for dinner.

Depending on what predator species are in your area, you should take action to help prevent intrusion and ward them off. From installing electric fencing or gravel beds to prevent digging to trimming back tall grass and eliminating hiding places.

Everything you can accomplish against them means less death and injury for your animals.

Tune-Up or Install Irrigation

If you have an existing irrigation system, for your garden, beds, or anything else, summer is the time to tune it up. Leaks, even small ones, greatly reduce efficiency and can cost you a pretty penny over the life of the system from year to year.

If you don’t have an irrigation system, now’s the time to consider setting one up. DIY systems are a lot easier to set up than you might think, especially for smaller grows like raised beds and compact gardens.

They can save you a ton of effort in the long run, and are well worth the investment in my experience, especially considering how busy you probably already are!

Start Chopping Firewood

No one wants to think about the approach of winter in the middle of summer, but that’s exactly what I recommend that you do when it comes to your firewood.

Whether it’s for a fireplace, fire pit, wood-burning stove, or something else, getting your firewood seasoned and chopped as early as possible means you’ll be on easy street by the time the weather starts to get cooler.

Doing just a little bit of chopping during the summertime, every day or every other day, means you’ll have a huge supply of stacked firewood ready to go by the end of fall, and that’s a relief that’s hard to put into words!

Harvest!

After all your hard work, whether it’s raising your animals to a suitable weight or diligently tending to your fruits and veggies, there will come a time to harvest in the summer.

It’s a joyous exciting time but also a very busy one, and one that you must get around to when the time is right.

Waiting too long means your fruits and veggies could start to rot on the branch, or you might not be able to procure processing services for your animals – assuming you don’t do it yourself. Timing is everything during a summer harvest, so make sure you allocate it accordingly…