This month we’re seeing lovely fresh mint leaves coming though on the plot – perfect for a classic Mint Julep!

You need:
2 large sprigs of mint
1 tsp caster sugar
60-90ml Bourbon
dash of rum
crushed ice
mint leaves to garnish

In a mixing glass press the mint leaves with the sugar, using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon to bruise the leaves. Add the Bourbon and rum, stirring til the sugar has dissolved.

Half-fill a tumbler (or a silver Julep cup if you’re posh!) with crushed ice, then strain the julep over it, stir, decorate with mint sprigs and slurp!

Recipe adapted from The Ritz London Book of Drinks & Cocktails

Our onions are Vulcan and Red Arrow, and our potatoes are Rocket!

We have to admit we’re suckers for good names, but now the idea of a theme for the plot is in our heads! Maybe next year we could plan the whole plot this way?!

Have you got any themes going?!

Just as fast as we’re digging them out, more appear!

While we like a bit of colour on the plot, this really isn’t the answer!  We’ve been told off about dandelions in the past, they seem to be the one plant that riles the plot neighbours on our allotments!

Plot neighbour, Steve, suggested drying the root to make ‘coffee’ – excitedly we picked some, ‘does it taste ok then?’ we asked him… ‘well, I didn’t say that!’ he replied!! Still, we have some roots drying…

So, is the only way really to dig them out? And with every little bit of root having to come out too?

How do you handle your dandelions?

We’re delighted to announce that from next month (May), we’ll be sending a monthly email featuring our progress (or maybe lack of progress!), recipes, ideas and hints and tips.

To celebrate we’re having a little competition too – simply sign up below before 30 April to receive our newsletter and you’ll be entered into a draw to win some gardeners’ treats

We were lucky enough to receive a free pack of seeds from the RHS and we’ve planted our square of wildflowers on the plot near the roses and fruit bushes – we’re hoping to attract bees, butterflies and other insects

Thanks to Lisa’s Dad we now have a newly-felted shed roof… a little patchwork in design, but a nice dry shed all the same

He took a look at our plan and showed us how we could make the land much easier to manage through succession planting – planting up to 2 or 3 different crops on the same area during a year, rather than leaving areas fallow.

This got us thinking. Our original plan had specific areas for each crop, but now, armed with Succession Planting knowledge, we could get the same volume of crops from a smaller plot… this means we could hand back part of our plot to give others an opportunity to grow their own too.

So, time to rethink the plan… with a little efficiency and more careful planning, the area we currently have can become much more productive and leave us to tend crops rather than weeds!

Watch this space!

And as it felt like Spring, we planted some daffodils next to the compost – they’ve been grown in pots but seem to be happy, they’re ‘Daffodil Sempre Avanti’…