Edible Miami and Hare Krishna

I did not know much about Hare Krishna until just recently, when Edible Miami was invited to join a small group of devotes at a Hare Krishna temple called Yoga Inbound in Miami. What a treat. We were there to help construct a community garden for the center, where future ecology classes could take place, and care could be administered by their traveling guests. Our experience with our new friends was very welcoming and warm, as we were guided through their purposeful and tropical courtyard, which was filled with an array of orchids, bromeliads, ferns, a live oak tree we estimated as over 80 years old, and sacred plants, like the tulsi (sacred basil).

The master guru there told us that he wanted to "walk the walk" and "complete the circle." Hare Krishnas eat a respectful vegetarian diet and devote a great amount of appreciation towards the respect of animals and the life behind the food that provides them nourishment. Walking the walk means that having a garden at the temple expresses their devotion to nature. The love and devotion put into tending the garden will teach their students that what you give has the potential for transformation. In other words, caring for your garden and learning from the plants (their needs, the ratio of these needs, timing, and patience) and their elements can reap many nourishing benefits for the community, in addition to food. Thus, a completion of the circle.

Here are some photos from our time helping at the temple. With great support, 5 garden beds were constructed from refurbished materials: 3 raised beds made from wood fences, one raised bed rustically embraced with large cut tree branches and stumps, and one raised bed embraced by leftover stone garden borders. They also had two large compost heaps with all the fertile soil needed to fill the beds.


The Garden Plan


Anchoring the raised beds

Making sure the beds are level

Having a moment

Filling the beds with this amazing compost soil

Talking dirt

An amazing Krishna lunch was provided for everyone, with love
This is an ongoing project that Edible Miami is happy to be a part of. If you would like to help volunteer, or learn more about what is going on at the Hare Krishna temple, please follow their community garden page, Green Inbound on Facebook.

To keep up with what were doing with Edible Miami, please feel free to follow us on Instagram (https://instagram.com/ediblemiami/), or like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ediblemiamifl).

Photos by Felipe Cadavid