Sabji report - July 2013 - for Jadan vegetable and ornamental gardens.

The first onset of the July monsoon came slowly but surely beginning on the 2nd and was a welcome breath of freshness since there had been no rain since June 20th. It was also a welcome break from irrigation and we were able to plant the monsoon vegetables in 600 square metres of the 800 pre-prepared in June. The rain meant that we could turn our attention to weeding and some more planting – pumpkins were sown in the east side beds of the Shiv Bagh and another batch of chillies opposite the workshop as well as some tomatoes towards the end of the month and toru along a new fence near the eating verandah.

When the group arrived from European on the 18th the fields were already green and lush and the soil saturated. The heaviest rains fell during the last week of the month on the 24th to the 29th.

Swamiji announced during one of the first satsangs that the bhaktas should help with the weeding and so we spent some really quality time together working systematically through the many weeds along boundaries and inside cultivated and empty beds in the workshop and Shiv Bagh gardens. We were mostly blessed with cool and cloudy weather and my many many thanks to all those who attended these morning and afternoon sessions which sometimes took up to 6 hours of work daily. There was so much sincere interest in the work going on and our growing seasons that now I dream of a team of bhaktas dedicated to our veggies, flowers and trees!

As always, the Jadan organic store was enthusiastically supported by all of our guests and much of the stock prepared during the summer months was sold and quite a few of the seeds too.

July was indeed a blessed month with unseasonably low temperatures and the blessing  and vibration of the divine occasion of Guru Poornima on the 22nd.