Important update for Cheesman customers, colleagues & partners
2025 weather: driest Spring in 132 years
England has now experienced the driest March, April and May since 1893. With such extreme dryness, farmers began irrigating far earlier than usual to try and protect crops. Despite those efforts, the drought was so severe that many crops still failed — especially brassicas.
The impact on Brassicas
Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) thrive in cool, moist conditions — but this season has been anything but.
- The dry soil stalled fertiliser uptake, and plants missed key nutrients
-
Some crops matured too early; others barely grew
-
The weakened plants couldn’t fight off pests.
What this means
With drought conditions, stunted plant development, and ineffective pest control, UK vegetable growers face a challenging winter — and we will all face a reduced supply across key crops. Brussels sprouts are weeks behind their typical growth stage for this time of year and yields will be down for autumn/winter crops — especially broccoli, red, and white cabbage.
Thank you for your valued support – we’ll continue to share updates and keep you informed as we navigate this tricky period together.
For further insight, please find below resources about the current situation:
- Met Office, Double record breaker: Spring 2025 is warmest and sunniest on UK record. [online] View here [Published 2 Jun 2025].
- The Independent, Harvest in limbo after UK endures driest spring in nearly 70 years. [online] View here [Published 5 June 2025].
- Met Office, Why has it been so warm and humid recently? [online] View here [Published 17 July 2025].
- Gov UK, National Drought Group meets after driest spring in 132 years. [online] View here [Published 5 June 2025].
- Farming UK, Driest spring in 132 years leaves farmers facing harvest crisis, experts warn. [online] View here [Published 6 June 2025].