Summer Harvest from the New Vrindaban Gardens
Early July morning picking.
The last few weeks have been VERY busy in the gardens. We have had many new volunteers. A family from Maryland came to work and camp in the garden. Currently we have two volunteers from WWOOF (world wide opportunities on organic farms) that have been helping with our abundant harvest of green beans. The Roots & Shoots 4-H Cloverbud Club came and spent a day touring the gardens and picking flowers. The kids had a wonderful time and learned all about farming and flowers.
Ohio County 4-H club Cloverbuds in the garden
The first week of July we planted four varieties of squash. This is the last big planting until fall. Our sweet potatoes are looking great and the vines are filling in all the spaces in their beds. Twice a week we harvest herbs and greens for the temple (lettuce, kale, swiss chard, and arugula). This week brought us our first full sized red tomatoes and bitter melons. Our current pick list also includes red raspberries, peppers, beets, basil, oregano, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, dill, and tons of green beans. Two of our local contract growers have been also making weekly deliveries or carrots and cilantro.
Just a few of the green beans we have been picking this week.
Both the Teaching Garden and the Garden of Seven Gates are bursting with beautiful flowers. The temple staff has been picking hundreds of marigolds for garlands and a variety of flowers for vases. As we move further into the summer harvest we hope to have more volunteers to continue to provide the community with a bounty of vegetables and flowers.
Fresh cut flowers for the temple and palace.
