05/07/2026
Quite a vulnerable post, but we need to lay our thoughts out. And maybe, next season, look back and remind ourselves we did pull through it. But who knows at this stage.
We are in for another tough week for RC with the temps, with no rain had and no rain in sight, what plants haven't flushed too fast, succombed to heat stress or flat out given up need to pull their big girl pants up (and Mrs Wild's emotional ones).
This is the reality, is this what we are in for going forwards?
Typically, we begin mass planting out in March. The winter wet, was absolutely not enough to counter a 2025 not too dissimilar from 2026.
Here is a rainfall visual from March to June.
We have faced one of our absolute toughest growing seasons, every new season starts, before the current one closes. At the moment we are seriously considering the future of W&WB. Our own costs have risen, aside from the sheer amount of labour involved. This alongside a lengthy battle with the planning dept that has cost over £1k over the last 2 years and we still have not achieved our desired goals and have taken a number of knocks in the process. But it is far safer not to divulge too much there!
Not only have growers been faced with all of the weather upsets, sales across the board for some of us, have been slower than usual. We absolutely understand in this current climate, luxuries are on the back burner, we ourselves are also having to prioritise spends and appreciate our product is not in the neccessary spend category!
This isn't for sympathy, but for reality, things are not rosey here and its making us wonder what the future now holds for our small business, between the climate and cost of living, we fall into a really tricky place.
Its so easy to get caught up in the beauty of the blooms and the wonderful array of biodiversity we support, but the reality of 2025 and 2026 is actually a very burnt out business owner, wife and mother, whom is admittedly, not the best version of herself whilst she grieves the hours and hours of hard graft and expense, behind a field that can be wiped out (and mostly has) in a matter of weeks and days due to the climate. We continue to nurture our soil health, add mulches and even added shade netting in areas this year. The shade netting thankfully pulled us through for the amazing wedding last weekend.
Field checks have become hold your breath and try to find the good things recently. But in reality, its pit of the stomach dread each time we walk through the picket gate.
We've nearly gone through all of our stored rainwater, even transferring stored rainwater from HQ, its going to be a matter of survival of the fittest for the field and over the next couple of weeks we will be seed harvesting, chopping, dropping and mulching several areas. Feeling sorry for ourselves and trying to figure out a viable and sustainable way forward.
