I wanted to start this blog at the beginning of 2026, when I first got my plot, but many setbacks made this year incredibly challenging. Still, I managed to get some work done and even got a small harvest. Of course, the results didn’t match my ambition in the first year, but that’s okay. Let’s start with what went wrong, then I’ll cover what I think went well.
What went wrong?
At the very start of 2026, when seeds were due to go in and require the most attention, I lost a close family member to a sudden, aggressive cancer diagnosis. As you can imagine, this put immense pressure on my whole family, not just me, and ultimately changed my priorities. While it took only about a month to handle the legal matters and arrangements, that’s a big chunk of the growing season to miss.
Just when I thought things were going back to normal, Mother Nature decided to hit us with the hottest, driest spring and summer in recorded British history. The intense heat and lack of rain made it incredibly difficult to grow anything; much of what we planted bolted, and increased pest pressure made it even worse. The weather was so intense that not even the weeds wanted to grow, which I guess is a positive.
Lastly, we were hit with a hosepipe ban very early in the year, and it’s still in place, but I’ve at least been able to collect some rain.
What I achieved
So, now for the positives, which are sparse, but I’ll take every small win from 2026 I’m given. The short of everything I’m about to share is that I’m ready for 2027 and even more ambitious, minus a tiny bit of naivety!
Groundwork
The entire plot is woodchipped, which I hope will help me naturally address weeds and feed the soil over time. I’ve also set up some no-dig beds and some raised planters. It’s not perfect, and I’ve no doubt I’ve wasted some growing area, but it gives me a solid foundation for 2027.
Indoor growing setup
When I took on the allotment, the previous owners left behind a botched greenhouse, which I’ve patched up by replacing the broken panels. I also installed a new 2.4x4m polytunnel, which took me a while because I’m terrible at DIY; despite help, I still messed up the foundations multiple times, and had to retrench the cover because I didn’t dig deep enough. I’ve got grow beds on either side inside the tunnel and plan to install strong plant supports and a watering system.
Havest
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t drowning in fresh fruit & vegetables. In fact, only potatoes, garlic, onions, beets, and some early carrots did really well. That said, it still felt incredibly rewarding, even if I only harvested a few scraps. I tried planting cabbages, pak choi, broccoli, dwarf beans, and runner beans, but everything struggled to cope with the drought. I have fruit trees, including an apple tree that suffered terrible fruit drop and an apple-moth attack. Birds stripped the cherry trees overnight, but I’ll net them next year.
However, I was gifted plenty of plums this year, along with tomatoes and peppers, so not all bad! Hopefully next year I can return the gesture.