At 91, Kamala is the oldest plot holder on the Mill Lane allotments
She took on plot 14 in 1961 and hasn’t missed a season since. Her advice: grow what you like eating, and never trust a warm April.
Sam Okafor
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5 min read
Plot 14 on Mill Lane, where the runner beans are still going in October.
Kamala Mistry took on plot 14 in 1961, when it cost five shillings a year and came with a shed that leaked. She still grows runner beans, onions and dahlias there, and still beats most of the society at the August show.
‘People overthink it,’ she says. ‘Grow what you like eating. Water in the evening. And never trust a warm April.’
The allotment society has three plots free this autumn. Rent is £38 a year and the waiting list is shorter than it has been for a decade.
About the writer
Sam Okafor
Listings and what’s on
Compiles the listings every week and goes to more quiz nights than is healthy. Send him your event and he’ll put it in for free.
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