Author: The Rose Of Mercia

  • Five Things You Should Do In July

    Blink and you’ll miss it, somehow June is over. Hopefully you managed to keep on top of your to do list for the month. We all know that the tasks on the plot are never ending, but here are five things for you to do in July. Thin out your fruit trees If your fruit…

  • Elderflower Champagne

    After much trial and error, I have finally created a recipe for a lightly carbonated, delicately floral elderflower champagne. This should make six 750ml bottles. Ingredients:– Twelve to fourteen elderflower heads– Two medium sized lemons– 600g sugar– 1 heaped teaspoon of citric acid (optional)– 4.5 litres of water plus an additional 100ml overage for any…

  • Five Things You Should Do In June

    As spring slowly fades to summer and the days get longer, the list of jobs at the allotment is ever growing. There are always seeds to sow and weeds to hoe. Keep on top of your weeds If you follow the no dig way of gardening, please ignore this step. We all know that weeds…

  • Slow & Steady Wins The Race

    The rain has finally fallen. The ground has been terribly dry over the past month; although it has been recorded as the warmest April on record. This has made preparing the ground for planting a nightmare, as I have mentioned previously. Surprisingly, we have not needed to buy a clay breaker for the soil. With…

  • April Showers, Where Are You?

    Not too long ago, I was complaining about the plot being too wet. Well, now it is much too dry! I can only hope that there will be some showers in April. The ground takes twice as long to work, but we haven’t let it stop us from planting more seeds. Compost was once again…

  • A Spring of Isolation

    With everything that is going on in the world, I am very grateful to have my little allotment plot. Somewhere to relax, get some exercise and fresh air and most importantly, to stay away from people. Although really, not much in my life as changed as I am pretty anti social anyway; but I hope…

  • Robyn Hode of Sherwode

    Previously encompassing over 100,000 acres, modern day Sherwood forest covers just over 1000 acres. Once a royal hunting forest, it was illegal to hunt the King’s deer and boar. Naturally, some people chose to ignore this and would hunt in the dead of night; but what would they do with the carcass? The Butcher’s Oak,…

  • Frames, Canes & Weather Ordeals

    Hard to believe it has been a month since my last allotment update, but alas life (and the weather) has got in the way. Annoyingly, the ground is still too wet to plant anything directly; the potatoes and onion sets should be okay to plant a little later on. It is still frustrating when you…

  • Aquae Sulis & The Roman Baths

    It is believed that the Celts of the land worshipped this spring, in honour of their god Sulis. Sulis was the goddess of fertility and the sun. She was a goddess local to the Bath area, with the only mention of her outside of England is in small German town. Sulis was also known as…