Urban Fox: Tree blossom provides a sense of wonder

After a long wait for the arrival of spring I find an added of a sense of wonder at the blossom on the trees and proliferation brought with a rise in temperatures and brighter days.Read

Urban Fox: Rhubarb brings a blaze of colour to the allotment

The allotment has seen little change over the past few weeks with the exception of the rhubarb, which is now beginning to bring a small blaze of colour against a still wintry backdrop with its red new shoots.Read

Urban Fox: Planting sprouts on the allotment for 2013

Lately it has been no surprise to see water stretching further than usual along the path towards my shed following the weeks of rain we have had.Read

Urban Fox: Company is rare during these winter months

Now that the frosts and wintry weather have fully arrived it can be rare to see another human being down at the allotment site. The water has been turned off as a precaution against burst pipes and there is little to do other than piling up barrow-loads from free deliveries of muckon the compost.Generally all is peaceful although I have had a few glimpses of a fox which, together with a couple of cats, will have free run of the place over the weeks ahead. This fox seems to like digging and I found deep holes in my compost heap, perhaps where it had been preying on frogs searching for a place to hibernate.I am now working my way through winter crops of parsnips and swede and whilst clearing the beds I discovered a bonus crop of pink fir apple potatoes, which I had missed several weeks earlier. These tasted all the more delicious in the knowledge that they would be the very last of my allotment grown potatoes until next summer.Another surprise was finding broccoli florets on plants that I had thought would be ready in spring, but after looking through my seed packets I found that I planted green sprouting Calabrese. This variety has a shorter growing season and can usually be harvested from late summer, whereas broccoli grows more slowly and would be ready the following year. Calabrese has a more delicate flavour than broccoli and along with the remainder of the chard, I am happy to have another green vegetable to pick at this time of year.Read

Urban Fox: Reflections on the allotment after a decade

Birds have feasted on the few remaining grapes on my vine, the leaves of which are now resplendent in rich autumn colours, glowing in the autumn sunshine.Read

Urban Fox: Preparing for the colder weather

As autumn begins I am eager to begin work on clearing the beds before the weather turns colder. Read

Urban Fox: Tranquillity on the plot as summer's end nears

A string of Jubilee bunting arranged around one of the plots at the allotment, to help scare away the birds from eating the crops, is looking a little tattered and faded now as we have come to the end of what has been confirmed our wettest summer for a century.Read

Urban Fox: Plants reach new heights after the rainfall

The most striking thing about the allotment site this summer is the height that some of the plants have managed to reach after all the rainfall we have had over the past few months, including any weeds left in the ground.Read

Urban Fox: Looks like a good year for root and green vegetables

The parakeets have been unusually subdued lately, perhaps a sign of quite how wet the weather has been for much of the summer so far.Read

Urban Fox: Under water in the drought

Attached to the gate to the allotment site there is a sign informing tenants of a drought and hosepipe ban which looks more than a little absurd at this point, after two weeks of almost constant rain. Read

Urban Fox: Clear signs of a frost

In the middle of October I found myself in the rare position of having little to do on the allotment after collecting barrows of muck to use as mulch on some areas of bare ground. Read

Urban Fox: Musical sound of raindrops at the allotment

I spent a bit of time standing in the doorway to my shed, sheltering from a sudden downpour and listening to the almost musical sound of raindrops.Read

Urban Fox: Musical sound of the raindrops

The allotment is still looking very green and luxuriant after a summer of plenty of rain, when on many visits I spent a bit of time standing in the doorway to my shed, sheltering from a sudden downpour and listening to the almost musical sound of raindrops coming into contact with some tin cans that are used to cover the tops of poles on my neighbour’s plot.Read

Urban Fox: Apple tree is the star of my plot

Recently we had the judging for the Wandsworth borough’s annual allotments competition towards the end of a very rainy week in July.Read

Urban Fox: Warm summer nights ideal for allotment

I always find this a special time of year at the allotment, when it is possible to make the most of the late evenings and carry on working on plot in the twilight.Read

Urban Fox: Roses in bloom

Last year the vine on my plot produced no fruit at all, but this season I am relieved to see numerous, miniature bunches of grapes, some of which are dangling from the arch in the centre of my plot since the plant has now advanced nicely along the top of this.Read

Urban Fox: Spring has sprung at the allotment

Now that spring has fully arrived things are moving on at quite a pace on the allotment. Read

Urban Fox: Harbingers of seasonal change

A small patch of snowdrops are now in bloom beneath a rose bush at one end of my plot, in the same spot where I will find wild strawberries growing in the summer, and there are others dotted all around the site. Read

Urban Fox: Tracks in the snow tell a story

When all appeared tranquil during the very cold spell on the allotment, numerous tracks left in the snow revealed how much activity goes on once there are no humans around.  Read

Urban Fox: The big freeze has begun

All was still and quiet on my last visit to the allotment now that the winter freeze has begun and the pond and water butts are already covered in a hard layer of ice. Read