Fulham Chronicle - Views & Blogs - Urban Fox

Urban Fox: Marvels of nature on the allotment

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:09:00 GMT

One of the things I treasure most about the allotment site is its unceasing propensity for marvels of nature on land that is situated so close to our urban landscape.

Urban Fox: Tree blossom provides a sense of wonder

Fulham Chronicle — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:55:00 GMT

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.

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

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:14:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Planting sprouts on the allotment for 2013

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:39:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Company is rare during these winter months

Fulham Chronicle — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:15:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Reflections on the allotment after a decade

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:14:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Preparing for the colder weather

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:15:00 GMT

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

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

Fulham Chronicle — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:32:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Plants reach new heights after the rainfall

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:22:00 GMT

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.

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

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 13:24:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Under water in the drought

Fulham Chronicle — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:04:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Clear signs of a frost

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Musical sound of the raindrops

Fulham Chronicle — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:07:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Apple tree is the star of my plot

Fulham Chronicle — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:12:00 GMT

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

Urban Fox: Warm summer nights ideal for allotment

Fulham Chronicle — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:44:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Roses in bloom

Fulham Chronicle — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:06:00 GMT

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.

Urban Fox: Weeds grow the fastest at this time of year

Fulham Chronicle — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:06:00 GMT

The allotment is looking increasingly leafy and green, particularly after all the sunshine that we have had lately. Keeping on top of the weeds this month will be well worth the effort as they grow their fastest at this time of year.

Urban Fox: Spring has sprung at the allotment

Fulham Chronicle — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:29:00 GMT

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

Urban Fox: Rhubarb heralds the arrival of spring

Fulham Chronicle — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:15:00 GMT

As the allotment starts to be transformed with the arrival of spring plants and flowers, rhubarb is the first new crop to appear on the plot, their young wrinkled leaves unfurling at a surprising rate.

Urban Fox: Harbingers of seasonal change

Fulham Chronicle — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:10:00 GMT

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.