Norma Moore, our General Manager, tells us about her allotment...

How many allotments do you have and where are they?

I’ve got one full size allotment at Turners Allotments in Taunton that I’ve had for nearly eight years. As well as having the ground soil, I’ve got two greenhouses, two tunnels, cold frames, raised beds and an orchard on the plot.

What are you currently growing?

I’m growing aubergines, chillies, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes in the greenhouses, seven varieties of lettuce, peas, purple sprouting and early runner beans in the tunnels and cauliflowers, cabbage, herbs, onions, peas and summer chard in the ground soil.

The orchard is full of a selection of soft fruit trees including blackberries, redcurrants and strawberries, as well as apple, cherry and pear trees.

Why do you grow your own food?

The main reason is that I want really fresh fruit and veggies so that I get all the essential vitamins and minerals they contain. There’s nothing like the taste of freshly picked produce. Being green is another incentive too and knowing that my food hasn’t travelled hundreds of miles to land on my plate. 

I don’t use any chemicals either, only organic feed. I regularly make a soup of comfrey liquid for all my fruit and veg.

What has done particularly well this year and why?

All of the fruit is doing really well, particularly the blueberry bushes in pots. It’s going to be a bumper year for fruit! It seems to have been the right season for it as there wasn’t a late frost.

I’ve been picking lettuce since March and grafted mini cucumbers since May. My broad beans, grafted tomatoes, herbs and peas are doing really well too.

How often do you tend to your allotment?

Eight days a week! In the spring and summer I’m down there every day after work until about 9.45pm.

What do you love most about having an allotment?

I really love the community aspect and chatting to like-minded people. There’s always something to learn from others.

It also gives me the chance to see my husband Pony, as he has an allotment opposite. If he didn’t we’d hardly see each other!