Crossing the Persephone Threshold
Despite frigid temperatures, daylight begins its steady return.
Written By: Laura DeFeo
Here in Maryland, the length of our daylight drops below ten hours from mid-November through the end of January. During this time of year, most plants halt or dramatically slow visible growth, even when temperatures are mild (not the case this year!) and even when crops are protected. This period of dormancy is driven by light, not cold, and plants turn their attention to maintenance and root activity rather than producing new top growth.
Modern growers often refer to this time of relative darkness as the Persephone Period, in reference to the story of Persephone from ancient Greek mythology. According to myth, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess who reigned over grain, fertility, and the abundance of the earth. Demeter’s favor ensured good harvests and food for humanity.
As the story goes, Persephone was taken by Hades, god of the underworld, to his subterranean abode to serve as his queen. In her grief over her daughter’s disappearance, Demeter withdrew her gifts from the world. Crops failed and fields went barren as a ceaseless winter fell upon the land.
Eventually, the other gods intervened, and Persephone was allowed to return to the surface. However, because she had eaten pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, accepting food as a symbol of the realm’s hospitality and forging a connection, she was bound to return there for part of each year. Over time, Persephone embraced her part-time, onsite role as Queen of the underworld, serving as a mediator between worlds and as a goddess who understood the cycles of dormancy and renewal.
This myth offered a way of understanding the changing seasons. During the months Persephone spends below ground, Demeter mourns and the earth enters a period of hibernation. When Persephone returns, Demeter’s joy restores the growth and abundance of spring.
This metaphorical cycle of descent and return mirrors our experience on the farm, with growth shaped by seasonal light and the rhythms of the natural world. Just as Persephone embraces her role below ground, this season reminds us that periods of stillness are not empty ones. Beneath the surface, the work continues, as the conditions for renewal slowly take shape. And having just crossed the threshold out of this year’s Persephone Period, as daylight hours gradually lengthen, we can feel momentum quietly building on the farm for the season to come.
