Jamestown

There are several theories why the colony needed so many years to start running the settlement with success.

An excerpt from the article 32 facts about Jamestown
The initial governing party demanded that the settlers focus on agriculture, but it is suspected that people were not keen on working together. They were more interested in hunting, despite lacking the skill, and were unsuccessful. If not for the food offerings from the Natives, the settlement may have been deserted like all the previously established by the British, i.e. Roanoke.