localgreenchain/docs/concepts/seasonal-planning.md

# Seasonal Planning

Understanding seasonal agriculture optimization in LocalGreenChain.

## The Seasonal Imperative

Traditional agriculture follows natural seasons. LocalGreenChain optimizes this by:

1. **Matching production to seasons** - Grow what grows best
2. **Forecasting seasonal demand** - Plant for expected consumption
3. **Extending seasons** - Greenhouses and vertical farms
4. **Planning transitions** - Smooth handoffs between seasons

## Seasonal Calendar

### Northern Hemisphere

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    SEASONAL GROWING CALENDAR                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                  │
│  JAN  FEB  MAR  APR  MAY  JUN  JUL  AUG  SEP  OCT  NOV  DEC    │
│  ├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤      │
│  │                                                              │
│  │  WINTER      SPRING      SUMMER      FALL       WINTER      │
│  │                                                              │
│  │  Indoor:     Cool Season: Warm Season: Cool Season:         │
│  │  Microgreens Lettuce     Tomatoes    Kale                   │
│  │  Sprouts     Spinach     Peppers     Broccoli               │
│  │              Peas        Cucumbers   Brussels               │
│  │              Radishes    Basil       Sprouts                │
│  │                          Squash      Carrots                │
│  │                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Seasonal Factors

Each crop has seasonal multipliers:

```typescript
const SEASONAL_FACTORS = {
  tomato: {
    spring: 0.3,   // Early season - limited
    summer: 1.2,   // Peak season - abundant
    fall: 0.6,     // Late season - declining
    winter: 0.0    // Not available outdoors
  },
  lettuce: {
    spring: 1.2,   // Ideal conditions
    summer: 0.5,   // Too hot - bolts
    fall: 1.2,     // Ideal conditions
    winter: 0.3    // Limited (greenhouse only)
  }
};
```

## Demand Seasonality

### Consumer Patterns

```
Salads (Lettuce, Greens):
├── Summer: ████████████████ High demand
├── Spring: ████████████ Moderate-high
├── Fall:   ████████ Moderate
└── Winter: ████ Lower

Tomatoes:
├── Summer: ████████████████████ Peak
├── Fall:   ████████████ Good
├── Spring: ████████ Moderate (imported)
└── Winter: ████ Low (imported)

Root Vegetables:
├── Fall:   ████████████████ Peak (harvest)
├── Winter: ████████████████ High (storage)
├── Spring: ████████ Moderate
└── Summer: ████ Low
```

### Forecasting Seasonal Demand

```typescript
function applySeasonalFactor(
  baseDemand: number,
  produceType: string,
  season: Season
): number {
  const factors = SEASONAL_FACTORS[produceType];
  const factor = factors?.[season] ?? 1.0;
  return baseDemand * factor;
}
```

## Planning Cycles

### Spring Planning (Feb-Mar)

1. **Review winter performance**
2. **Order seeds for spring/summer crops**
3. **Start indoor seedlings**
4. **Plan succession plantings**
5. **Commit supply to demand signals**

### Summer Planning (May-Jun)

1. **Adjust for actual spring results**
2. **Plan fall crop transitions**
3. **Order fall seeds**
4. **Plan preservation (canning, freezing)**
5. **Monitor water needs**

### Fall Planning (Aug-Sep)

1. **Seed saving from summer crops**
2. **Plant winter storage crops**
3. **Extend season with row covers**
4. **Plan winter production (indoor)**
5. **Prepare for first frost**

### Winter Planning (Nov-Dec)

1. **Review year's performance**
2. **Order next year's seeds**
3. **Plan crop rotation**
4. **Maintain indoor production**
5. **Update demand preferences**

## Seasonal Recommendations

### How Recommendations Work

```typescript
function generateSeasonalRecommendations(
  grower: Grower,
  season: Season,
  demandSignals: DemandSignal[]
): PlantingRecommendation[] {
  const recommendations = [];

  for (const crop of getSeasonalCrops(season)) {
    // Check if in season for this region
    if (!isValidForSeason(crop, season, grower.hardinessZone)) {
      continue;
    }

    // Find matching demand
    const demand = findDemandForCrop(demandSignals, crop);

    // Calculate recommendation
    if (demand.gapKg > 0) {
      recommendations.push({
        produceType: crop,
        plantByDate: getPlantByDate(crop, season),
        expectedHarvestDate: getHarvestDate(crop, season),
        ...
      });
    }
  }

  return recommendations;
}
```

## Extending Seasons

### Season Extension Techniques

| Technique | Season Extension | Crops Suited |
|-----------|------------------|--------------|
| Row Covers | +2-4 weeks | Greens, roots |
| Cold Frames | +4-6 weeks | Salads, herbs |
| Hoop Houses | +6-10 weeks | Most crops |
| Heated Greenhouse | Year-round | All crops |
| Vertical Farm | Year-round | Leafy, herbs |

### Integration with Vertical Farms

```
Outdoor Season:  ████████████████░░░░░░░░████████████████
Greenhouse:      ████████████████████████████████████████
Vertical Farm:   ████████████████████████████████████████

Combined Supply: ████████████████████████████████████████
```

Vertical farms fill gaps:
- Early spring (before outdoor ready)
- Mid-summer (heat gaps)
- Late fall (after frost)
- Winter (full production)

## Crop Rotation

### Benefits

1. **Soil health** - Different nutrient needs
2. **Pest reduction** - Break pest cycles
3. **Disease prevention** - Reduce pathogen buildup
4. **Yield improvement** - Better long-term production

### Rotation Groups

```
Year 1: LEAFY GREENS (Nitrogen users)
        Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Chard
        ↓
Year 2: FRUITING (Heavy feeders)
        Tomatoes, Peppers, Squash, Cucumbers
        ↓
Year 3: LEGUMES (Nitrogen fixers)
        Beans, Peas, Cover crops
        ↓
Year 4: ROOTS (Light feeders)
        Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Onions
        ↓
Back to Year 1
```

### Rotation in LocalGreenChain

```typescript
interface SeasonalPlan {
  growerId: string;
  year: number;
  season: Season;

  // Previous year data for rotation
  previousYearCrops: Map<Zone, string>;

  // Current plan respects rotation
  plannedCrops: PlannedCrop[];
}
```

## Succession Planting

### Concept

Plant same crop multiple times for continuous harvest:

```
Week 1:  Plant batch A  [●●●●●]
Week 3:  Plant batch B  [●●●●●]  →  Batch A growing  [○○○●●]
Week 5:  Plant batch C  [●●●●●]  →  Batch A harvest  [✓✓✓○○]
Week 7:  Plant batch D  [●●●●●]  →  Batch B harvest  [✓✓✓○○]
...

Result: Continuous harvest every 2 weeks
```

### Scheduling

```typescript
function planSuccessionPlanting(
  crop: string,
  totalWeeks: number,
  harvestFrequency: number
): PlantingSchedule[] {
  const schedules = [];
  const growingDays = SEASONAL_DATA[crop].growingDays;

  let weekOffset = 0;
  while (weekOffset < totalWeeks) {
    schedules.push({
      plantWeek: weekOffset,
      harvestWeek: weekOffset + Math.ceil(growingDays / 7)
    });
    weekOffset += harvestFrequency;
  }

  return schedules;
}
```

## Best Practices

### For Growers

1. **Plan early** - Order seeds 2-3 months ahead
2. **Track frost dates** - Know your last spring/first fall frost
3. **Use succession** - Continuous harvest beats big batches
4. **Save seeds** - Preserve locally-adapted varieties
5. **Check demand** - Align planting with signals

### For Consumers

1. **Embrace seasonality** - Best produce is in-season
2. **Set preferences** - System learns your patterns
3. **Be flexible** - Accept seasonal variety
4. **Preserve** - Learn to freeze, can, dry
5. **Plan ahead** - Subscribe to seasonal boxes

## Data-Driven Optimization

### Tracking Seasonal Performance

```typescript
interface SeasonalAnalytics {
  season: Season;
  year: number;

  // What worked
  successfulCrops: {
    crop: string;
    yieldVsExpected: number;  // >1.0 = outperformed
    qualityScore: number;
  }[];

  // What didn't
  failedCrops: {
    crop: string;
    reason: string;
  }[];

  // Learnings for next year
  recommendations: string[];
}
```

### Continuous Improvement

1. **Record everything** - Conditions, yields, issues
2. **Analyze yearly** - What patterns emerge?
3. **Adjust plans** - Apply learnings
4. **Share knowledge** - Community benefits