It follows a record-breaking summer
Bumper-crops-of-apples-and-pumpkins-at-N\Harvest 25 Eleanor Hopkinson
By all accounts, 2025 was supposed to be a challenging year for British gardeners. Record-breaking heat, drought warnings, and widespread concerns over climate change painted a grim forecast for the country’s harvest. Yet, against all odds, the National Trust’s gardeners across England have found themselves facing not shortage, but surplus.
From heritage orchards in Cornwall to kitchen gardens in Devon and Somerset, the story is the same: a bumper crop of apples, pumpkins, squash and pears, arriving early and in astonishing quantity. It’s a twist no one quite saw coming—and a hopeful sign that nature, occasionally, still finds a way to surprise us.
It was the hottest summer on record in the UK, according to BBC Weather. Drought conditions plagued large swathes of the countryside. For many, it recalled the scorching summer of 1976—but this time, the implications for agriculture were even more sobering. And yet, in a quirk of climate and timing, this extreme summer followed a wet 2024, laying the foundation for something quite unexpected.
Rebecca Bevan, the National Trust’s Plant Health and Sustainability Consultant, says: “Climate change has brought us some very challenging growing conditions over recent years with extremes of wet and dry weather and many storms. It’s heartening however that sometimes the conditions lead to good outcomes—and certainly fruit harvests are a success story for 2025.”
Bumper-crops-of-apples-and-pumpkins-at-N\Jay Williams_Buckland_Pumpkins
Rebecca explains that the abundant apple and orchard fruit harvests are rooted in the previous year’s downpours. “Trees were in good health when they began to make their flower buds in late summer. This was followed by a dry and sunny spring resulting in abundant flowers being pollinated by insects and forming fruit. Lots of sun over the summer was then ideal for ripening the fruit.”
Even for plants more vulnerable to heat stress, like pumpkins and squash, the moisture retained from the previous year worked in their favour. “Last year’s wet weather also recharged ground water levels,” Rebecca adds, “which probably helped plants like pumpkins get established despite the lack of rain.”
Nowhere is the transformation more vivid than at Cotehele in Cornwall, home to the Trust’s only ‘Mother Orchard’ featuring 125 apple varieties. The trees there produced thousands of apples—earlier, larger and more plentiful than anyone expected.
David Bouch, head gardener at Cotehele, admits he was sceptical at first. “A month ago, I wasn’t overly confident because the fruit was very small—which is usually the case in very dry summers—but the apples have swollen quickly over the last couple of weeks, thanks to the rain we’ve had.”
Faced with the early ripening, David and his team acted swiftly. “Our apples ripened around three weeks early, so we had to make the decision to put on an extra weekend of apple picking to ensure the apples didn’t go to waste with visitors able to pick their own to enjoy at home.”
Apple picking for Apple Day at Cotehele, Cornwall
Over at Buckland Abbey, near Plymouth, the story is one of pure abundance—especially in the squash and pumpkin patch. Head gardener Sam Brown has been overseeing what he calls a record-breaking season. “We have about 50 per cent more squash and pumpkins than usual. We’d normally harvest them in mid-October but are about to start now—around six weeks earlier.”
With 20 varieties of pumpkins and squash and apples ripening since August, the garden is overflowing. It’s a far cry from 2024, when slugs and wet weather ruined much of the crop across the Trust’s gardens.
Apple themed craft activities for the families during the Apple festival in the Orchard at Avebury, Wiltshire
In North Devon, the team at Arlington Court are equally thrilled. A mild spring and a surge in pollinator activity helped deliver the best crop in recent memory. Senior Gardener Hannah Phillips proudly reports: “From just two of our many espaliers we picked over 60 kilos of Devonshire Quarrenden, the best crop we’ve ever had from them. Alongside varieties like Newton Wonder and Veitch’s Perfection, it’s been a great harvest to give to the tea-room, where the apples have gone into compotes, scones, crumbles and more.”
At Dyrham Park near Bath, apples and pears are equally ahead of schedule. The espaliered apples lining the Avenue are already ripe, and the orchard’s pear harvest has been brought forward too. Normally destined for perry production in mid-October, the pears are being picked now.
Meanwhile, Montacute House and Tintinhull Garden in Somerset report an early start to the apple season—with fruit showing higher levels of natural sugar than in previous years. It’s a sweet payoff for the gardeners’ patience and planning.
The unusually bountiful harvest is not limited to just apples and pumpkins. At Killerton, near Exeter, plums and pears have also flourished, thanks to minimal frost and wind during blossom season. Orchard teams have adjusted timelines, bringing pressing dates forward to keep pace. Apples and pears are already being transformed into estate cider and juice.
At Trelissick in Cornwall, Assistant Head Gardener Wella Chubb sees a clear link between the weather and pollinator health. “Thanks to the warm and sunny spring bringing some much-needed pollinating insects into the garden, we’re now having a fantastic year for apples.”
Bumper-crops-of-apples-and-pumpkins-at-N\Barry Mitchell Autumn
Even at Dunster Castle, where the dry summer has prompted early leaf fall, there’s a different kind of abundance at play—fruit-laden Yew and Sorbus trees feeding migratory birds arriving ahead of schedule. Visitors are still treated to a colourful display from trees like Manna Ash and Purple Beech, with the vibrant Euonymus alatus adding fresh flair to the landscape.
Beyond the orchard gates, the fruit is finding its way to cafés, kitchens and pantries. Many National Trust properties are using their harvests to stock tea-rooms with freshly made crumbles, compotes and seasonal bakes. Others are making juice or drying fruit into crisps—a perfect way to preserve the bounty.
The Trust has also shared expert advice for those keen to store or use their own fruit at home. Their recommendations include careful handling to avoid bruising, storing apples in cool, well-ventilated spaces like unheated garages, and wrapping them in newspaper for longevity. As for pumpkins, a sunny windowsill or greenhouse helps “cure” them so they’ll keep until Halloween and beyond.
Bumper-crops-of-apples-and-pumpkins-at-N\Harvest 25 Eleanor Hopkinson
While this year’s success story offers a welcome reprieve, Rebecca Bevan remains pragmatic. “We’re seeing more frequent extremes—too wet, too dry, too stormy—and that’s difficult for both cultivated and wild plants. But this year reminds us that well-managed gardens, resilience in planting, and understanding the rhythms of the seasons can still yield wonderful results.”
It’s a timely message, and a gentle reminder that gardening—like life—is often a game of patience, adaptation and hope. As Britain heads into autumn, the orchards may be emptier, but the larders and hearts are full.
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