Heatwave and Droughts across UK and Europe

Summer 2026

The summer of 2026 will be remembered as one of the hottest and driest on record across the UK and Europe and we experience heatwaves and droughts. At Dale Farm, our small allotment‑sized growing spaces have felt the full force of this extreme weather. Like growers everywhere, we’ve seen a mix of surprising successes and some disappointing failures — a pattern echoed across the country and the continent.

Across Europe, heatwaves pushed temperatures 5–12°C above seasonal averages, severely disrupting crop development and accelerating water loss . In the UK, analysts have confirmed that 2026 delivered the worst harvest on record, with national production of key arable crops falling significantly due to the drought.

Even iconic European crops have suffered: Belgian farmers reported potatoes “barely the size of ping‑pong balls” after soils hardened and plants struggled to grow — a stark illustration of how extreme heat can shrink yields across the continent.

How Dale Farm has fared

Despite the challenges, our growing team — supported adults, staff, and volunteers — have worked tirelessly to keep our crops thriving where possible.

Some days have simply been too hot to handle in the polytunnels, where we have barred everyone from going in except in the early morning. The first priority on these days has been to keep everyone hydrated and protect them from the hottest of the sun. Umbrellas, gazebos, hats, sunscreen and drinks have been our saviour during the hottest days. We have had to adapt our daily tasks to ensure that everyone is sun safe.

🌟 The Successes

• Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and pumpkins These heat‑loving crops have flourished, echoing national reports that tender crops like cucumbers, tomatoes and pumpkins performed well with regular watering and warm soils .
• Beans Our bean supports stayed upright this year, and we’ve enjoyed a plentiful supply — a welcome contrast to many growers who saw reduced pod set during extreme heat.

🌧️ The Struggles

• Potatoes Our potato harvest has been noticeably smaller, with smaller tubers — a pattern seen across Europe where drought has dramatically reduced potato size and yield .
• General yield reduction The UK’s national harvest data shows that 2026’s extreme heat caused widespread yield losses, particularly in cereals and root crops, reinforcing what we’ve seen on our own plots.

Although we avoided a hosepipe ban locally, we used water sparingly and carefully. Our existing drip‑irrigation systems for berries and polytunnel crops (chillies, tomatoes, cucumbers) have been invaluable — drip systems are widely recommended for reducing water waste during droughts.

The rain has finally returned to water our parched fields, giving life giving water to the plants on the farm – unfortunately this has meant the revenge of the weeds.