Which Vegetables Grew Best in the Hot Dry Summer of 2026

If there is one word that could sum up the 2026 growing season, it might be dry.

Weeks of hot weather and very little rainfall made water one of the biggest talking points on allotments across the country. By August, large parts of England were officially in drought, millions of people were affected by water-use restrictions and growers were having to think very carefully about which plants really needed the water they had available.

It wasn't an easy year.

Yet despite the challenging conditions, 2026 hasn't been a complete failure. Some crops struggled, others produced mixed results and a few proved surprisingly resilient.

So, what actually did well on UK allotments?

There isn't one definitive answer. Soil, rainfall, location, sowing times, varieties and access to water all played a part, meaning results could vary considerably even between neighbouring plots. But as the season draws to a close, some interesting patterns are beginning to emerge.

The Crops That Seemed to Enjoy 2026

Tomatoes
For many growers, all that sunshine had one considerable advantage:
tomatoes actually ripened outside.

Outdoor tomatoes can sometimes spend a typical British summer stubbornly green, leaving growers watching the weather forecast as autumn approaches.

This year, warmth and sunshine provided excellent ripening conditions in many places.

The challenge was water.

Tomatoes need consistent moisture, particularly once fruits are developing. Plants that were allowed to become extremely dry and were then given lots of water could suffer split fruit, while prolonged drought stress could reduce fruit size and productivity.

But where growers managed to maintain reasonably consistent moisture, 2026 appears to have provided some excellent tomato-growing conditions.

And plenty of sunshine can mean one particularly important thing:
flavour.

Beetroot

Beetroot may have been one of this summer's quieter successes.

Once established, beetroot is relatively tolerant of periods of dry weather compared with many thirstier vegetables.

That doesn't mean it doesn't need water. Prolonged drought can produce smaller roots and may make older beetroot tougher or woodier.

But established plants have shown themselves capable of hanging on remarkably well.

It's another argument for successional sowing too. Rather than relying on one large sowing, several smaller sowings spread the risk across changing weather conditions.

Squash and Pumpkins

Those enormous leaves make squash look like plants that should require endless watering, yet established winter squash have produced some surprisingly good results.

Deep-rooted plants growing in fertile, moisture-retentive soil – particularly where the ground had been mulched – were better equipped to cope with dry conditions.

Not everything went perfectly. Drought stress can cause developing fruits to abort and extremely dry plants will inevitably struggle.

But where plants became well established early in the season, the prolonged warmth gave fruits plenty of opportunity to develop and ripen.

For growers now looking at pumpkins and winter squash swelling on their plots, the next challenge is knowing when to harvest, cure and store them.

Outdoor Cucumbers

Perhaps one of the more surprising successes of a hot summer.

Cucumbers are thirsty plants, but they also love warmth. In suitable conditions, outdoor cucumbers benefited from the high temperatures and long periods of sunshine.

The RHS reported particularly vigorous outdoor cucumbers during the heatwave, demonstrating just how differently crops can respond to exactly the same conditions.

Again, water availability was crucial – but where sufficient moisture was available, the heat could work in their favour.

Soft Fruit

Fruit deserves a place among the successes too.

Commercial reports during the drought indicated strong yields for berry producers even while other parts of horticulture were struggling.

On allotments, results will inevitably have varied, but established fruit plants have one major advantage over newly planted annual vegetables:
established root systems.

Raspberries, currants, gooseberries and blackberries can access moisture from a much larger volume of soil than a recently germinated lettuce or beetroot seedling.

That doesn't make them drought-proof, particularly while fruit is swelling, but well-established perennial crops can sometimes demonstrate impressive resilience.

The Mixed Bag

Some crops are much harder to categorise.

Talk to one allotment holder and they'll tell you they've had their best crop ever. Walk two plots further and somebody else may have had almost nothing.

Runner Beans

Runner beans are a perfect example.

The plants may grow vigorously in warm weather, but extremely high temperatures and dry conditions can interfere with flower set.

Some growers have enjoyed plenty of beans, particularly where plants were well watered and mulched.

Others watched flowers appear – and then simply fall off.

Cooler conditions later in summer may have allowed some plants to recover and begin cropping again.

French Beans
French beans may have fared better than runners on some plots, particularly once established.

Warmth suits them, but adequate moisture is still essential when flowers and pods are developing.

This may be another crop where variety choice becomes increasingly interesting. Rather than automatically growing the same beans every year, experimenting with several varieties could help identify which perform best on individual sites.

Sweetcorn

On paper, a sunny summer sounds perfect for sweetcorn.

And in many ways it is.

Sweetcorn enjoys warmth and sunshine, but those large plants also need sufficient moisture, particularly while establishing and when cobs are developing.

Where growers could provide that water, 2026 may have produced excellent results.

Where they couldn't, the story could be very different.

Sweetcorn

Potatoes

Potatoes appear to have been particularly variable.

Early potatoes harvested before the driest part of summer may have avoided some of the worst conditions.

Later crops faced increasingly dry, hard soil and, without sufficient moisture while tubers were swelling, yields and tuber size could suffer.

By late August, exceptionally hard soils were creating difficulties for commercial root-crop harvesting too.

It is a useful reminder that sunshine alone doesn't make a successful harvest.

A Tougher Year For…

Some crops were always going to find prolonged heat and drought more challenging.

Lettuce and Leafy Salads
Perhaps among the most obvious casualties.

Lettuce prefers cooler, reasonably moist conditions. Heat and drought encourage plants to bolt, while leaves can become tougher or bitter.

The commercial salad-growing season itself finished earlier than usual this year.

For allotment holders, it raises an interesting question for future summers: should some salad growing move into partial shade during the hottest part of the year?

Peas

Peas are another crop that generally prefers the cooler conditions of spring and early summer.

Once temperatures climb and the soil becomes dry, plants can rapidly stop producing.

Earlier sowings may therefore have performed considerably better than later ones this year.

Brassicas

Brassicas faced several challenges.

Young plants needed enough water to establish, while heat and dry soil could slow growth.

Then there were the usual allotment competitors – caterpillars, pigeons and other pests – waiting to take advantage of already stressed plants.

Established winter brassicas may still have plenty of time to recover as cooler, wetter conditions return.

Spring Onions and Other Shallow-Rooted Crops

Small, shallow-rooted vegetables have much less soil from which to draw moisture.

That made repeated dry periods particularly difficult for seedlings and young plants.

This year's conditions have shown why getting crops well established before extreme weather arrives can make such a difference.

What Made the Difference?

Perhaps the most useful question isn't which crop won?
which crop won?

It's why did the same crop thrive on one plot and struggle on another?

There are some recurring themes.

Mulching

If 2026 has made a case for one allotment technique, mulching must be high on the list.

Covering the soil with compost or another suitable organic material reduces evaporation and protects the soil surface from intense sunshine.

It can also help prevent the dramatic cycle of completely dry soil followed by sudden saturation.

Deep Watering

A small splash of water on the surface may make us feel better, but it doesn't necessarily do much for the plant.

Less frequent but more thorough watering encourages roots to explore deeper into the soil.

That deeper root system can then make plants more resilient when the surface dries.

Build Better Soil

Adding organic matter isn't simply about feeding plants.

Good soil structure helps the ground absorb and retain moisture.
Regular additions of compost and well-rotted organic matter therefore form part of an allotment's long-term drought resilience.

Store Water When It Rains

One lesson from 2026 has been particularly difficult to ignore:

rainwater is too valuable to waste.
Water butts, tanks and other rainwater-harvesting systems won't solve every drought problem, but increasing storage capacity when water is plentiful can provide an invaluable reserve during prolonged dry periods.

Use Shade Differently

Allotment holders traditionally search for the sunniest possible growing positions.
But perhaps we need to think differently about some crops.
Lettuce, spinach and other leafy vegetables may benefit from afternoon shade during extreme summer temperatures.
Taller crops can even provide useful temporary shade for more vulnerable neighbours.

Don't Put Everything in at Once

Successional sowing has always been useful, but increasingly unpredictable weather gives it another purpose.

Three small sowings made several weeks apart have three opportunities to encounter good conditions.
One enormous sowing has only one.

What Does 2026 Tell Us About Future Growing?

Perhaps the biggest lesson from 2026 isn't that there is one perfect drought-resistant vegetable.

It's that diversity matters.

A plot containing different crops, varieties, root depths and sowing dates has a better chance of producing something whatever the weather decides to do.

That could mean trying a more drought-tolerant variety alongside an old favourite.

It could mean increasing water storage, mulching more of the plot, building organic matter into the soil or changing when certain crops are sown.

It might also mean accepting that the traditional allotment calendar isn't fixed.

If hotter, drier spells become more frequent, we may find ourselves sowing some crops earlier, moving others into shade and concentrating precious water on the plants that need it most.

The 2026 season has certainly been challenging, but allotments have always been places of experimentation.

Every failed lettuce, successful tomato and unexpectedly resilient squash tells us something about our own plot.

And that may be the most useful harvest of all.

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