Oldham garden loses crops in hot, dry summer 2026

Key Points

• Volunteers at Northern Lily Community Hub in Oldham say up to three-quarters of their plants, fruit and vegetables have failed to survive the hot, dry summer.
• The garden usually grows more than a tonne of produce each year, enough for around 12,700 meals, which is given to people in the local community.
• Victoria Holden from the garden said this year’s harvest is unlikely to reach a tonne, reducing the amount of fresh food available to residents.
• Chillies, gourds, aubergines and tomatoes have survived, but their yields are around a quarter of normal levels for this time of year.
• Volunteer coordinator Samantha Turner described the Failsworth site as “baked” and said community gardens cannot be watered as often as home plots.
• Holden advised gardeners to water deeply every few days and use water butts to collect and store rainwater during dry spells.
• The hub runs gardening workshops and nature-based activities focused on wellbeing and inclusion in the Oldham community.

Oldham (Manchester Mirror) August 25, 2026 – A community garden in uk/local/oldham/">Oldham has lost up to three quarters of its plants, fruit and vegetables after a prolonged period of hot and dry weather, significantly reducing the fresh food it supplies to local residents. Volunteers at the Northern Lily Community Hub, based on Marlborough Drive in Failsworth, said they have been forced to discard produce that would normally be distributed to the community.

What did garden volunteers say about crop losses?

As reported by BBC News, Victoria Holden from the garden said: “Normally we grow over a tonne of food which equates to 12,700 meals worth and we give that away to our community.” She added:

“Unfortunately, I’m not sure we’ll get to a tonne this year and that’s real fresh food that normally supports our community which is now not going to be available.”

Holden told the BBC that the site had to adapt to extreme temperatures inside the polytunnel.

“We lost a lot of plants. We had to just reduce everything down in the polytunnel to what could cope with that sometimes 55 degree heat,”

she said. While heat-tolerant tropical crops such as chillies, gourds, aubergines and tomatoes have survived, the overall volume of produce is “about a quarter full to where it would normally be at this stage in the year”, according to Holden.

Why are community gardens more vulnerable in a drought?

Volunteer coordinator Samantha Turner described the garden in Failsworth as “baked” and highlighted the particular challenges faced by shared growing spaces. “It’s particularly bad for community gardens because you can’t have people necessarily here every hour of every day,” Turner said. She contrasted this with private gardens, where individuals can respond more quickly to dry conditions: “At a home garden you’ve maybe got the chance to go out when it’s been dry.”

Turner noted that soil moisture remains low even below the surface. “If you lift up the top soil a couple of inches now it’s still dry underneath,” she said. The combination of sustained high temperatures, limited rainfall and the logistical constraints of a volunteer-run site has left the garden unable to maintain usual yields.

How much food does the garden normally provide?

The Northern Lily Community Hub normally produces more than a tonne of fruit and vegetables annually, a quantity the garden estimates is equivalent to around 12,700 meals. All of this produce is given away to the local community, supporting households that rely on fresh, locally grown food. With this year’s harvest expected to fall short of a tonne, the volume of fresh food available for distribution will be markedly lower than in previous years.

What advice did the garden offer for watering in dry spells?

Holden offered practical guidance for gardeners seeking to protect plants during periods of low rainfall. She said the most effective approach is to “water well” every few days rather than applying small amounts daily. “So the best thing to do for your plants, to know that they are definitely getting water properly, is to count to 10 when you’re watering,” Holden said. She recommended repeating this deep watering “once every couple of days” so that moisture reaches deeper into the soil and encourages roots to grow downwards.

Holden also urged gardeners to prepare in advance by installing water butts to capture rainwater. “Be prepared” and set up “as many water butts – containers which store rainwater – as possible”, she said. This stored water can then be used during dry spells to reduce reliance on mains supplies and ensure plants receive adequate hydration.

What role does the hub play in the local community?

Beyond food production, the Northern Lily Community Hub runs regular gardening workshops and a range of nature-based activities designed to improve wellbeing and foster inclusion in the Oldham area. These programmes provide opportunities for residents to learn horticultural skills, engage with green spaces and connect with neighbours through shared work in the garden. The reduction in plant survival and harvest volumes therefore affects not only food availability but also the scale and scope of activities that can be supported by the garden’s produce and growing areas.

Background to the development

The losses at the Northern Lily Community Hub come amid wider concerns about the impact of hot, dry weather on UK agriculture and food supplies. In early August, the National Farmers’ Union warned that prolonged drought conditions could lead to shortages of certain food products and called on the government to take action to mitigate the effects of extreme weather on farming. Farmers have cautioned that this year’s harvest could be among the worst on record, with the exceptionally dry spring and summer potentially contributing to smaller vegetables and higher prices in supermarkets.

Government data published in early August indicated that, for the month up to that point, all parts of England had received less than 10% of the long-term average rainfall, with England as a whole receiving only 4%. Satellite analysis by BBC Verify has shown signs of “vegetation stress” across many areas, suggesting that the combination of minimal rainfall and sustained heat is likely to affect wildlife, farming and agricultural output. Experts have said this could result in less British-grown produce being available and at higher prices, as reduced access to water lowers crop yields.

The situation in Oldham mirrors broader patterns observed across the country. The Guardian reported in mid-August that even established drought-tolerant gardens were showing signs of stress, with head gardeners offering advice on using grey water and prioritising irrigation for the most vulnerable plants. Later in the month, the Woodland Trust said England’s ancient oak trees were dying in the extreme heat and dry weather, with older trees disproportionately affected as ecosystems struggle to adapt to changing climate conditions. International coverage has also noted that historic English gardens are facing severe damage from climate change, with mature trees drooping and leaves turning brown in August as a stress response to excessive heat.

Prediction: how could this affect Oldham residents and community gardens?

If dry summers become more frequent or intense, community gardens like Northern Lily are likely to face recurring shortfalls in fresh produce, which could reduce the number of meals they can provide to local households. For Oldham residents who depend on this food, the effect may be felt as less access to free, locally grown fruit and vegetables and greater reliance on purchased produce, potentially at higher prices if wider “shrinkflation” trends in the UK vegetable market continue.

For the audience of local residents, volunteers and community organisations, the development could prompt changes in how gardens are managed and funded. Gardens may increasingly prioritise drought-tolerant crops, invest in additional water storage such as water butts and irrigation systems, and adjust planting schedules to avoid the hottest periods. Volunteer groups may need more support to maintain watering regimes during heatwaves, particularly where sites cannot be accessed every day.

In the longer term, repeated dry summers could reshape the role of community gardens in Oldham, shifting emphasis from high-volume food production towards resilience-building activities, education on water-wise gardening and wellbeing-focused programmes that are less dependent on large harvests. For local policymakers and funders, the situation highlights the potential need for targeted support to help community growing spaces adapt to a warmer, drier climate while continuing to provide social and nutritional benefits to the communities they serve.